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President George W. Bush proclaimed January 2008 as National Mentoring Month. In his proclamation, he stated:

Millions of Americans lend their time, talent, and energy to become mentors and make a difference in children's lives. During National Mentoring Month, we honor these caring individuals for their dedication to changing our country one heart and soul at a time.

By sharing their knowledge and experiences, mentors serve as examples for young people and help teach them the skills they need to succeed in life. They also provide stability, instill important values, and build confidence in those they assist. Mentors are soldiers in the armies of compassion, and they encourage children to set goals and achieve their dreams.

My Administration is committed to helping our Nation's children realize their full potential by expanding opportunities for Americans to mentor. To raise awareness of the challenges facing our youth and encourage adults to connect with young people through family, school, and community, First Lady Laura Bush is leading the USA Freedom Corps, we are connecting individuals with volunteer opportunities, including mentors who work with young people in schools and community organizations. By encouraging Americans to mentor, we are doing our part to see that more of America's children grow into strong, confident, and successful adults.

OJJDP Support of Mentoring

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has a long history of supporting mentoring programs. OJJDP has partnered with national organizations such as MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership. Programs in previous years have included the Juvenile Mentoring Partnership, which directly sponsored local mentoring efforts, and the "Coach a Kid in the Game of Life" public service campaign, which was advertised in the official programs of Major League Baseball's League Championships and World Series.

In 2006, OJJDP provided $1.6 million to four mentoring partnerships under the Mentoring Initiative for System Involved Youth (MISIY). Its main objective is to identify effective mentoring programs and strategies and determine how to enhance and expand these approaches for youth involved in the juvenile justice system, reentry, and foster care. The MISIY awardees are: The Boys and Girls Aid Society (Portland, OR); Lutheran Family Services of Virginia (Roanoke, VA); City of Chicago, Department of Children and Youth Services (Chicago, IL); and The Mentoring Center (Oakland, CA).

In Fiscal Year 2007, grant awards from Support for Mentoring Initiatives for System Involved Youth were made to the following organizations: Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (Pennsylvania), Committed Partners for Youth (Oregon), Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capitol (District of Columbia), Girls Incorporated (New York), Girls Incorporated of Huntsville (Alabama), Messiah College (Pennsylvania), National Congress of American Indians (District of Columbia), National Organization of Concerned Black Men, Inc. (District of Columbia), Partnership for a Healthy Scott County, Inc. (Mississippi), People for People, Inc. (Pennsylvania), Pittsburgh Leadership Foundation (Pennsylvania), Plumas Rural Services (California), Team Focus, Inc. (Alabama), and Virginia Mentoring Partnership (Virginia). These awards support the implementation of initiatives that assist in developing and enhancing the capacity of community programs to provide mentoring services to at-risk youth.

Through its National Faith-Based Mentoring Recruitment Initiative, OJJDP supports the National Network of Youth Ministries (NNYM) in a campaign to recruit and refer adult mentors. For more information, visit NNYM's MentorYouth Web site.

White House Roundtable

On January 23, 2008, the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (OFBCI) convened a Compassion in Action policy roundtable, highlighting the efforts of America's mentors to support our Nation's struggling and at-risk citizens. Hosted by OFBCI Director Jay Hein and keynoted by Amachi mentoring program founder Wilson Goode, the roundtable assembled faith-based and community leaders, government officials, policymakers, foundation representatives, business leaders, and philanthropists to tout innovative mentoring partnerships and explore ways to expand effective public-private collaborations in communities throughout the country.

In recognition of National Mentoring Month, the event honored President Bush's call for all Americans to recognize the importance of mentoring and look for opportunities to serve as mentors in their communities. "President and Mrs. Bush believe every child in America deserves a compassionate adult in their lives. When a mom and dad are unable to play that role, at-risk children need mentors to stand in as role models," Jay Hein said. "[This] event celebrates our progress and reaffirms our commitment to closing this mentoring gap."

A Fact Sheet on OFBCI Mentoring Programs is available online. For more information on the OFBCI, visit the OFBCI Web site.