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WASHINGTON – Emmy-winning actress Patricia Heaton joins the Corporation for National and Community Service, a division of the U.S. Department of Justice and the nonprofit MentorYouth.com at an event that helps faith- and community-based organizations recruit more mentors.
Heaton, of “Everybody Loves Raymond” fame, will speak Wednesday in Los Angeles at a training conference that aims to build the capacity of mentor-recruiting organizations. She also will present a President’s Volunteer Service Award to an outstanding mentor in her role as a member of the President’s Council on Service and Civic Engagement.
The conference is a three-day training called “Mobilizing New Mentors...Through Faith- and Community-Based Collaborations.” The event helps mentoring programs explore avenues for finding new mentors. The training builds on a national goal supported by the Corporation to recruit mentors for an additional three million at-risk children by 2010. Faith-based organizations are an integral part of that goal: A recent study found that almost 43 percent of volunteers become mentors through religious organizations.
“We already have found great success in building capacity in the faith-based community as we improve our ability to attract caring adults to serve as role models for children,” said Alison Fritz, Director of Faith and Community Based Initiatives at the Corporation. “Churches, synagogues and other religious organizations have been a prolific resource for recruiting mentors, who often make a pivotal difference in a child’s life. We will continue strengthening the ability of these organizations to make those important connections.”
Some of the key faith-based initiatives nationally are Amachi, which is building congregational mentoring hubs to help children of prisoners; the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services in Dearborn, Mich., which provides health and literacy programs; Xavier University of Louisiana, which uses a Learn and Serve grant to engage more than 500 students in service-learning; and the California Youth Authority, which provides education, training and treatment services to serious youthful offenders.
This week’s training, which began today, continues tomorrow and Wednesday at the Radisson Hotel Los Angeles Westside.
Heaton, who co-founded and operates a production company with her husband, will appear at 8:45 a.m. Wednesday. The actress, a two-time Emmy winner who gained stardom from her portrayal of Debra Barone in “Everybody Loves Raymond,” promotes civic engagement across the nation in her role as a member of the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation.
Heaton will present a President’s Volunteer Service Award to attorney Robert L. Madok, who volunteers through Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters. Mr. Madok will receive the Call to Service Award, which is an honor from President George W. Bush for a lifetime of volunteer service.
MentorYouth.com, is a division of the National Network of Youth Ministries. It is the training’s host, along with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs at the U.S. Department of Justice, and the Corporation.
The Corporation for National and Community Service improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. Each year, the Corporation provides opportunities for 1.5 million Americans of all ages and backgrounds to serve their communities and country through Senior Corps, AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America. For more information, go to http://www.nationalservice.gov.
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