Celebrate by placing a call or sending a card to the person who inspired you

Washington, DC – Behind every successful person is a caring adult whose guidance or steady encouragement helped to overcome obstacles and pave the way. Today is the day for everyone who has benefited from mentoring to reach back and say “thank you.”

January 25 is designated as “Thank Your Mentor Day.” Mentees can express their appreciation and gratitude to an adult who made a positive difference in their lives with a phone call, note or even an e-card.

“Right now, if we all took a moment, I am sure we could think of someone in our lives who mentored us,” said David Eisner, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, which spearheads National Mentoring Month along with the Harvard School of Public Health and MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership. “I venture to say that most of us wouldn’t be where we are today without those key people in our lives.”

Eisner is conducting a coast-to-coast trip to promote mentoring, thank mentors and build bridges with organizations supporting programs for at-risk children. Last night, he participated in a gala at New York City’s Core Club, where music impresario Quincy Jones was honored as the first-ever “Mentor of the Year.” Today he is conducting media interviews in New York and meeting with foundation leaders. Eisner travels to Seattle this weekend and will speak Sunday at the Guiding Lights Weekend – Mentoring Conference, along with Washington Governor Chris Gregoire and other mentoring partners.

Thank Your Mentor Day comes in the final week of National Mentoring Month, when organizations involved in mentoring shine a spotlight on recruiting caring adults for children, particularly at-risk children. The National Mentoring Month campaign theme this year is “Pass it on. Become a Mentor.” Studies have shown that mentoring programs are a highly effective strategy for preventing youth violence and drug abuse.

Today, Americans can reach out to thank or honor a family member, teacher, coach or neighbor who served as a mentor to them. For e-cards and other ideas to thank the mentor in your life, visit http://www.whomentoredyou.org. To learn how to become a mentor, visit http://www.mentoring.org.

The Corporation is working with a coalition of government, corporate, and nonprofit groups to recruit an additional 3 million mentors for at-risk children in the United States by the year 2010. For National Mentoring Month, the Corporation has made available a variety of mentoring resources available on its website, http://www.nationalservice.gov/, including a new Mentoring Toolkit, research that analyzes Census Bureau data to determine which individuals are more likely to become mentors, an issue brief that details the various ways the Corporation supports mentoring activities, and more.

The Corporation for National and Community Service improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. Providing service opportunities for millions of Americans of all ages and backgrounds, Corporation programs include Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America.

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