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Outstanding Mentoring Programs

Richmond Public Schools (RPS)

850+ partnerships, Richmond

“Mentoring in elementary, middle and high school works! Every caring adult who comes to serve our students and our schools contributes to student success.”
- Miriam Davidow, School-Community Partnerships Specialist, RPS; 2004 Mentor of the Year

More than a decade ago, Richmond Public Schools began building strong relationships with diverse community partners seeking ways to give back. School officials quickly discovered how volunteers – especially mentors and tutors – could transform school culture by providing classroom support, motivating students to learn, and establishing caring mentoring relationships. Since then they have taken their mentoring initiatives seriously – developing a centralized process for recruiting, training, and coordinating volunteers through 850 partnerships that currently reach more than 2,500 students. Due to the collective efforts of many RPS staff a critical number of young people in RPS are now experiencing the benefits of school-based mentoring through this model program. Visit Richmond Public Schools.

The Bucknell-West Potomac Mentoring Partnership

Fairfax County Public Schools, Alexandria

“There is no doubt that the smile on the mentees’ faces and the energy in the room prove this is a stellar program.”
- Shelley Prince, MentorWorks Specialist, Fairfax Co. Public Schools

Since it’s inception in 2006, the Bucknell-West Potomac Mentoring Partnership – which pairs high school mentors with elementary school mentees – has grown from 25 participants to 133! Each week, a diverse group of mentors and mentees meet for tutoring and other enrichment activities after school. With a remarkable infrastructure, peer mentors receive support, training, and weekly electronic updates to keep them organized and engaged. Program assessments show positive results – 95% of mentees reported that having a mentor helped them feel better about themselves, improve their grades, learn about setting goals and the importance of school. Visit The Bucknell-West Potomac Mentoring Partnership.