Mayor Recognizes Mentors Month
In honor of National Mentoring Month, Mayor Craig Cates and Commissioner Sam Kaufman proclaimed the month of January as Take Stock in Children Month.
Take Stock in Children is the premier Florida scholarship and mentoring organization which has served more than 800 students. The proclamation “commends and honors its 270 volunteer mentors for the assistance, advice, and guidance they provide during weekly mentor sessions, making a positive difference in the students’ lives and improving their self-confidence and belief that a college degree is attainable.”
The work of Take Stock and its mentors results in the high school graduation of 100 percent of the Take Stock scholars, and the matriculation of 96 percent in post-secondary education, well over the national averages.
First established in 1995 in Florida, Take Stock in Children provides at-risk and economically disadvantaged students extensive support, motivation and accountability to ensure they graduate from high school and pursue their postsecondary education goals. Take Stock in Children Monroe collaborates with community leaders and business partners, as well as staff and key stakeholders to provide equal educational opportunities to all children despite their socio-economic status.
………..but at the same time, people sit idly by and seem to be okay with the very real possibility of the Police Athletic League’s operation being dismantled from the Truman Waterfront. The Police Dept. volunteers have been mentoring kids for quite sometime at the ideal location of the PAL building, but that is now in jeopardy as some want to demolish the $8 million building and their quarters to make way for a recreation field when there is already a beautiful recreation field RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET.
Police Dept. and other volunteers not only mentor kids for sports related activities, but also with school studies as well as life. The accompanying Horse Stables located on the property also contribute greatly to enhance kid’s and other’s respect for Police officers.
Just yesterday when I was down at the PAL building, there was a handful of kids from possibly the Bahama Village area asking for forms to join up for the programs there.
Demolish this building and the program to move it down to the Douglass Gym area to where there is already a SEVERELY OVERCROWDED AREA WITH VERY LITTLE PARKING? Doesn’t make any sense to me.