Granholm Announces Record Number of Children Being Mentored

January 26, 2010

Need is still great with thousands of youth on waiting lists

LANSING - Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today announced that there are a record number of children being mentored in Michigan according to the recent Mentor Michigan Census.  The announcement comes during the 2010 Michigan Mentoring Month, an annual effort to highlight the importance and impact of mentoring in communities across the state.  It is held in conjunction with National Mentoring Month.

"Despite the difficult times many of our communities are currently facing, it is obvious mentoring is still a bright spot," said Granholm.  "Through the small commitment of just an hour a week, adults are impacting thousands of Michigan youth by serving as their mentors and providing them with guidance and support."

Granholm cited a number of key mentoring statistics revealed in the census completed by Kahle Research Solutions, Inc., including that:

• 28,536 youth are being served by mentors in Michigan - the largest number ever reported to the Mentor Michigan Census; 
• 5,620 more youth are being served now than the census documented in 2008; 
• there are 19,578 active mentors in Michigan; 
• women outnumber men when it comes to mentoring; currently 62 percent of mentors are female, while 38 percent are male; and 
• while 57 percent of mentees are children of color, only 25 percent of the mentors are people of color.  This disparity creates dilemmas for mentoring programs trying to match children with mentors from the same ethnic and gender backgrounds.

Mentor Michigan, an initiative of the Michigan Community Service Commission, conducts the census annually to understand the scope and nature of mentoring in Michigan.  Wave VII of the Mentor Michigan Census, conducted during the fall of 2009, received the highest number of responses ever with 161 mentoring organizations operating 254 distinct programs providing data.

Despite the overall impact mentoring is having on the young people of Michigan, there is still an overwhelming need that has yet to be addressed.  In the latest census, programs reported that there are a total of 3,568 youth on waiting lists to be matched with mentors. 

"I want to stress the need for volunteers at Michigan's mentoring programs," said Jim Vella, chair of the Michigan Community Service Commission.  "But it's also important to note that these programs are in need of a variety of other resources, including donations of materials, match activities, and finances to increase their capacity.  Individuals, organizations, and corporations should keep that in mind when they consider their support."

The Michigan Community Service Commission has information and resources on the Mentor Michigan Web site to help potential mentors and donors find local mentoring programs.  If you are interested in becoming a mentor, visit www.michigan.gov/mentormichigan and click on "Become a Mentor."

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