Mentoring Month 2016 Proclamation

WHEREAS, every day in Illinois, mentors help youth in communities across the State - in schools and in homes, in the field and in the library - facing the challenges of growing into adulthood; and,

WHEREAS, there are few investments more important than those we make in the healthy development and well-being of young people; and,

WHEREAS, research shows that young people matched with a caring adult through a quality mentoring program are 52 percent less likely to skip school, 46 percent less likely to use illegal drugs, 27 percent less likely to start drinking, and are more likely to have positive relationships with adults and to make positive plans for their futures; and,

WHEREAS, more than 400 youth mentoring programs currently operate in Illinois, and tens of thousands of youth in our state already have the benefit of caring and supportive volunteer mentors; and,

WHEREAS, 96 percent of existing mentors would recommend mentoring to others; and,

WHEREAS, The Illinois Mentoring Partnership (IMP) launched in 2012, is the unifying champion for quality youth mentoring in Illinois, providing resources, training and technical assistance, heightened public awareness and advocacy for the state's mentoring movement; and,

WHEREAS, The Serve Illinois Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service supports the mentoring works of more than 700 AmeriCorps embers each year and is committed to improving the lives of youth in more than 40 Illinois counties; and,

WHEREAS, the Illinois Senior Corps branch of National Service supports one-on-one mentoring and tutoring of more than 4,000 young people with special needs through its Foster Grandparents program; and,

WHEREAS, less than 3 percent of youth in Illinois are currently served in a mentoring program and many children in Illinois desperately need the support of a quality mentor; and,

WHEREAS, mentors can commit as little as one hour a week and still have a significant positive impact on the outcome of a child's life; and,

WHEREAS, January is National Mentoring Month, and Illinois is proud to step forward as a leader in reinforcing support for this cause across our great state, in an effort to close the gap for youth who don not have a trusted mentor in their lives; and,

THEREFORE, I, Bruce Rauner, Governor of Illinois, do hereby proclaim January, 2016, as Mentoring Month in Illinois, and urge citizens throughout Illinois to take part in the powerful movement​ that is changing lives.

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