Winter 2009
Recap of National Mentoring Month 2009
Aaron Eilerts Day of Service February 24
College Student Helps Document the Impact of AmeriCorps Members in the Spring Disasters
Governor Culver, Lt. Governor Judge Thank Iowans for Service on MLK Day
2009 Learn and Serve Community-Based Funds and Applications are Available
Service Spotlight- AmeriCorps Member Norma Boge
Governor’s Volunteer Award Nominations due March 9
4th Annual Volunteer Awareness Day to be held in Capitol on Feb. 25
Federal Issue - Serve America Act
Federal Issue - AmeriCorps funding in the House Economic Stimulus Plan
Other Federal News - President Obama Urges Service
Recap of National Mentoring Month 2009
January marked the ninth anniversary of National Mentoring Month (NMM), the day our nation officially puts a spotlight on mentoring and the need for every child to have a positive role model in his or her life.
At the state level, NMM 2009 was spearheaded by the Iowa Mentoring Partnership ( IMP ), a program of the Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service in Des Moines . The IMP is designed to support mentoring programs through certification, training, technical assistance, networking, and much more.
In January, IMP distributed promotional materials and mentor recognition certificates to local programs, participated in media interviews, and organized Mentoring Day on the Hill at the State Capitol. At the local level, mentoring programs from across the state celebrated NMM by hosting recognition events for outstanding mentors, fundraised, promoted mentoring, and most importantly, recruited new volunteers.
Governor Culver also took a moment to recognize mentoring in Iowa as he proclaimed January as National Mentoring Month. “As Governor and as an Iowan, I am committed to ensuring that every child in this state has the tools and resources they need to succeed,” said Governor Culver. “But a child's success depends upon more than facts and figures; they must also have real-life experiences and learn from those who came before them. Time spent with a child is not only an investment in that child but an investment in every Iowan, and I want to thank each mentor for their service and encourage others to join them in sharing their skills as mentors to invest in Iowa 's bright future.”
As mentioned by the Governor, one of the primary goals of NMM has been to encourage a greater number of individuals to invest in the futures of our youngest Iowans. While there are over 6,000 mentoring relationships supported by the 81 mentoring programs that are currently certified by the IMP , there are also roughly 2,000 children on waiting lists within these programs. If you are willing to invest one hour of your time per week to mentor a child in 2009, please contact the Iowa Mentoring Partnership by visiting www.iowamentoring.org or by calling 1.800.308.5987 to find an opportunity near you.
If you have questions, or need additional information, please contact the Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service, at 1.800.308.5987 or mentoring@iowa.gov