PERU, IN- Today, City of Peru Mayor Miles Hewitt declared January 26th as Thank Your Mentor
Day in Peru, Indiana, to coincide with nationwide efforts during the annual National
Mentoring Month.
This proclamation recognizes the fact that, every day, quality mentoring programs and
prevention environmental strategies for positive youth development connect mentors to
young people. Role models, the trusted adults in our community, can cultivate
relationships that provide crucial support and guidance as children grow and develop
into the next generation of leaders.
Research confirms that quality mentoring relationships have powerful, positive effects
on young people in a variety of personal, academic, and professional situations.
Ultimately, mentoring connects a young person to personal growth and development
and social and economic opportunity. Yet one in three young people will grow up
without this critical asset.
Young people who face risk factors, but who have a mentor are more likely to be
enrolled in college than those who did not have a mentor, more likely to volunteer
regularly in their communities and more than twice as likely to say they held a
leadership position in a club or sports team.
National Mentoring Month gives us the opportunity to highlight how positive youth
development strategies, like mentoring, produce positive benefits, and to focus on
finding resources for more programming to ensure every young person in Miami County
has a mentor.
“Many of us are fortunate to have mentors throughout our lives, and we carry their
support with us as a constant reminder of the importance of mentoring,” said Mayor
Hewitt. “But if mentoring is left to chance, too many young people will be left without this
positive force in their lives. I applaud the efforts of volunteers, schools and the private
sector to ensure that the City of Peru and Miami County can support young people.”
“We believe the only way we will achieve a drug-free Miami County is by keeping kids
busy, accountable, and encouraged,” said Jennifer Yates, Prevention Director of the
Miami County YMCA. “Our coalition’s mission promotes positive culture. We celebrate
the healthy choices made by Miami County teens to be drug-free. Especially today,
January 26th, we recognize the efforts of trusted adults in children’s lives, role models
and mentors alike, who share valuable know-how. There are different ways to be a
mentor but it can be as simple as being a consistent presence in the young person’s life:
greeting them by name, supporting their interests, recognizing their achievements, and
encouraging perseverance to conquer challenges and reach goals.”
For more information, please visit www.mentoring.org and www.moreformiami.com
