Dear Editor,
Many of us are lucky enough to have been mentored at some point in our lives, whether in a formal arrangement or merely by having someone take the time to guide us when we needed it, stand by our side as we navigated a difficult bump in the road. Locally, Windsor County has had the help of Windsor County Mentors, around for nearly 50 years and orchestrating mentoring relationships for over 1,500 mentor-mentee pairs during that time. Some of us have witnessed the positive impact of mentoring first hand, so join others in Vermont to mark January as National Mentoring Month.
The research tells us that children who have a mentor: are 46% less likely than peers to start using illegal drugs; are 52% less likely than peers to skip a day of school; are 81% more likely to participate in sports; are 55% more likely to enroll in college; and are 78% more likely to volunteer.
The impact of 2020’s disruptions to educational and family life for children will mean that mentoring is needed now more than ever. Many children who are mentored through WCM are at risk for stress-related issues that have been compounded by Covid-19. Please contact WCM’s website for more info about supporting mentoring or to see if mentoring is for you. Thanks you!
Sincerely,
Peggy Kehew, volunteer
Perkinsville, Vt.