January is National Mentoring Month

The Kansas House and Senate passed resolutions Thursday declaring January as National Mentoring Month to encourage more Kansas residents to get involved with statewide mentoring efforts and to recognize those individuals already dedicating their time.

The resolutions were sponsored by Sens. Steve Morris, R-Hugoton, and Roger Reitz, R-Manhattan, and Reps. Bob Bethell, R-Alden, and Tom Hawk, D-Manhattan.

Kansas State University Head Football Coach Bill Snyder, the co-chairman of the Kansas Mentors program, and mentoring matches from several Kansas programs were in attendance including representatives from 4-H Youth Development, Compeer of Topeka, Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters, YouthFriends and Youth Horizons.

"The passing of these resolutoins will bring statewide attention to all young Kansans who could benefit from the support of a caring role model," Snyder said. "The development of our youth is so very crucial to the future of our state and therefore we share our sincere gratitude with the Kansas Legislature for helping to bring attention to statewide efforts."

Thursday also marked National Thank Your Mentor Day, a highlight of National Mentoring Month that provides an opportunity for all Kansas residents to share their gratitude with those people who have made an impact.

Kansas Mentors, the lead for the state's mentoring month celebrations, encourages individuals to consider "passing on" their thanks by signing up to mentor a young Kansas resident. To view a statewide directory of programs, visit the Kansas Mentors' Web site at www.KansasMentors.org.

Kansas' celebration of Mentoring Month joins a national effort spearheaded by the Harvard School of Public Health, MENTOR and the Corporation for National and Community Service. To learn more, visit www.nationalmentoringmonth.org.

The United States Senate passed a similar resolution on Dec. 18, 2009. The bill was introduced by Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and John Kerry, D-Mass.