Comments on: Radio Show – What if there Isn’t a Parent to Reach a Child? http://www.betsysblog.com/wordpress/2008/10/18/radio-show-what-if-there-isnt-a-parent-to-reach-a-child/ Let’s look at things a little differently.... Fri, 19 Feb 2010 23:31:31 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 hourly 1 By: Dan Bassill http://www.betsysblog.com/wordpress/2008/10/18/radio-show-what-if-there-isnt-a-parent-to-reach-a-child/comment-page-1/#comment-2404 Dan Bassill Fri, 22 May 2009 13:42:29 +0000 http://www.betsysblog.com/wordpress/?p=494#comment-2404 Hi Betsy, I saw this story in yesterday's Chicago SunTimes. I've led a volunteer-based tutor/mentor program in Chicago since 1975, so I'm fully in agreement with how important it is to build a network of extra adults and learning experiences for kids who don't have enough family and community support. I focus on kids in high poverty urban areas, where the family struggles because they are surrounded by poverty, with few lifelines of support beyond the neighborhood. Structured tutor/mentor programs can connect volunteers from churches, businesses, professions, etc. to the youth, and to the community. There are not enough programs doing this. I created the Tutor/Mentor Connection in 1993 to build a master understanding of what programs were in Chicago, and to create a leadership evangelism that would bring volunteers, and donors, to all of the programs on a more consistent basis, not just my own. We host a conference every six months, and the next is May 28 and 29. I hope folks from Kids Hope USA, and other mentoring organizations, as well as leaders of faith based communities will attend. The web site is http://www.tutormentorconference.org We don't charge much of a fee, and we give a scholarship to anyone who asks for one. Our aim is to spread the good news of tutoring and mentoring so more congregations, businesses and others become strategic in how they support such programs. I hope you'll keep writing about this. We're just a whisper in the desert without your help. Hi Betsy, I saw this story in yesterday’s Chicago SunTimes. I’ve led a volunteer-based tutor/mentor program in Chicago since 1975, so I’m fully in agreement with how important it is to build a network of extra adults and learning experiences for kids who don’t have enough family and community support.

I focus on kids in high poverty urban areas, where the family struggles because they are surrounded by poverty, with few lifelines of support beyond the neighborhood. Structured tutor/mentor programs can connect volunteers from churches, businesses, professions, etc. to the youth, and to the community.

There are not enough programs doing this. I created the Tutor/Mentor Connection in 1993 to build a master understanding of what programs were in Chicago, and to create a leadership evangelism that would bring volunteers, and donors, to all of the programs on a more consistent basis, not just my own.

We host a conference every six months, and the next is May 28 and 29. I hope folks from Kids Hope USA, and other mentoring organizations, as well as leaders of faith based communities will attend. The web site is http://www.tutormentorconference.org

We don’t charge much of a fee, and we give a scholarship to anyone who asks for one. Our aim is to spread the good news of tutoring and mentoring so more congregations, businesses and others become strategic in how they support such programs.

I hope you’ll keep writing about this. We’re just a whisper in the desert without your help.

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