Oklahoma Mentoring Programs

Click here to view a list of Oklahoma corporate-based mentoring programs.

The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence provides this listing of Oklahoma Mentoring Programs as a service to prospective mentors, families, schools and communities. Statewide programs are featured first, followed by a listing of programs by the city in which they are based.

The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence provides this directory as a community service and does not approve and/or endorse any specific mentoring programs. Families, educators and prospective volunteers are encouraged to consider the standards and practices of each program. The National Mentoring Partnership offers these suggestions for choosing safe and effective mentor programs.

Register Your Program
To add your mentoring/tutoring program to the directory, please complete our brief online registration form or call (405) 236-0006.

STATEWIDE PROGRAMS
Big Brothers/ Big Sisters, the nation’s most recognized mentoring program, continues to meet the needs of Oklahoma children by providing valuable mentoring programs. Volunteers spend time with students in the school-based program, while Big Brothers and Big Sisters enjoy a variety of activities through the community-based program.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: School-based and community-based
CONTACT: Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Oklahoma
PHONE: 918-744-4400
E-MAIL: jjacobs@bigbrothers-tulsa.org

Children of Promise - Mentors of Hope is an initiative throughout the state of Oklahoma to identify and reach the hidden children and youth between the ages of 4-15 living with the devastation and trauma of having a parent who is incarcerated. The University of Oklahoma OUTREACH, College of Continuing Education received funding for this program through a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-Administration for Children and Families. Children of Promise - Mentors of Hope has partnered with Big Brothers/Big Sisters throughout Oklahoma and works with faith-based associations, educational institutions, civic organizations, prison ministries and others to identify both volunteer mentors and affected youth.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: School-based and community-based
CONTACT: Michelle Chapman
PHONE: 405-325-1791
E-MAIL: promise@cce.ou.edu

The DREAM Institute is dedicated to enriching and increasing the success of the higher educational experience of students with disabilities through a three-fold approach, which includes: academic and professional mentorship; academic assistance and scholastic awards. The institute administers academic and professional mentoring programs. An academic mentor is an individual who provides educational and emotional support, and promotes and builds self-advocacy skills in the student, during their higher educational experience. A professional mentor is a community member, who is experienced in the industry the student is studying. The mentor is introduced to the student once the student declares his/her major, to ensure that the student has the proper direction in the area of career preparation and job placement after graduation. The institute also helps recipients find internships at companies where they can groom their professional skills and, if possible, the organization locates a mentor in the company in which the recipients are interning.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: School-based and community-based
CONTACT: Rodney Pratz or Kristy Long
PHONE: 918-588-3600
E-MAIL: dream@dreaminstitute.org

The Oklahoma State Department of Education’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers provide after school and summer “out-of-school” time to mentor and tutor students in high-risk, high-need areas. Oklahoma has 64 Center grantees in over 100 school sites across the state. Click here to access a list of the school districts with Learning Centers. Contact Melodie Fulmer at the number below to learn how to sign up in your district.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: School-based
CONTACT: Melodie Fulmer, Director
PHONE: 405-522-6225

ADA
Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Pottawatomie and Seminole Counties (See listing under Statewide Programs)
TYPE OF PROGRAM: School-based and community-based
PHONE: 405-275-3553
E-MAIL: shawneebbbs@aol.com

ALVA
The Alva Mentoring Program is designed to foster a love of reading in students. Participants can choose to mentor at the K-1st grade building, the 2nd- 3rd grade building, or the 4th- 5th grade building. Mentors spend 30 minutes once a week reading to their student before school. Mentors include those from the community, college, and high school who believe in children. Many retirees have been with the same student from 1st -5th grade.
TYPE: School-based
CONTACT: Cheryl Arian
PHONE: 580-327-3008
EMAIL: cladrian@alvaschools.net

ANTLERS
Little Dixie CAA -"Passport to the Future" Mentoring Program is a community-based one-on-one mentoring program matching adult volunteers with youth who have or have had a parent incarcerated in the counties of Choctaw, Pushmataha, and McCurtain.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: Community-based
CONTACT: Doris Long, program director
PHONE: 580-298-2921
E-MAIL: dlong@littledixie.org

BARTLESVILLE
Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Bartlesville (See listing under Statewide Programs)
TYPE OF PROGRAM: School-based and community-based
PHONE: 918-336-5437
E-MAIL: charlene@bigbrothersbigsisters-bartlesville.org

The PEBBLES Program at Jane Phillips Elementary (pre K-5th grade) is designed to build self-confidence and self-worth in the students at Jane Phillips Elementary. Volunteers can serve as a positive role model simply by spending time with a student, having lunch, reading or doing school activities together. This helps students stay in school and become productive members of society.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: School-based
CONTACT: Jane Wyatt
PHONE: 918-336-9479 ext. 23
E-MAIL: wyattja@bps-ok.org

BIXBY
Bixby Education Endowment Foundation’s (B.E.E.F) Central Elementary Mentoring Program is designed to provide mentors to students in K-4 grades. Mentors pledge a commitment of one hour per week to work one-on-one with a student. Each mentor has completed the Bixby Public Schools’ Volunteer Training and passed a background check. Activities include: reading with a child, supporting academic performance, assisting with a project on class assignment, study trip chaperone, lunch buddy, and special guest at activities (i.e., jog-a-thon, assemblies, musicals, etc.).
TYPE: School-based
CONTACT: Kathleen Phillips
PHONE: 918-369-2315
E-MAIL: jkpil@olp.net

BLACKWELL
A.R.M.S. (Adult Role Models) is a program designed to target youth in single parent homes involving children ages five to 17 years old.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: school-based and community-based
CONTACT: Leslie Evans, Program Coordinator
PHONE: 580-762-8341

INTEGRIS Health established the Positive Directions Mentoring Program to pair mentors from INTEGRIS Blackwell Regional Hospital with students at Blackwell Elementary. The mission of Positive Directions is to provide the educational support necessary to enhance the learning experience of at-risk students. Our goals and objectives are to build self-esteem, provide positive role models, provide assistance in overcoming negative behaviors, and improve classroom participation and academic success of children. Our mentors spend one hour per week, during the school day, with their assigned student throughout the school year. Our returning mentors continue to work with their student from the previous year in order to provide the continuity these students desperately need.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: Corporate-sponsored, school-based
CONTACT: Kathy Lowder
PHONE: 405-717-9871
E-MAIL: kathy.lowder@integrisok.com

BROKEN ARROW
Mentors for the Broken Arrow Public School System are recruited to provide nurturing relationships and positive role models for at-risk students from elementary to middle school age students. Mentoring is done at the school site once a week. Time of day is determined by the mentor's and student's schedule. The purpose of the program is to promote self-esteem, help students to set personal and/or academic goals and to develop a friendship with a caring adult.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: School-based
CONTACT: Jo McCord
PHONE: 918-259-4300 X295
E-MAIL: jomccord@baschools.org

CHELSEA
Volunteers for Youth PAL Program is a school based mentoring program that pairs an adult (mentor) with a particular student (mentee) for the weekly meetings. The meetings take place at the school site during the school day. Mentors strive to become the student’s friend, role model, motivator and personal advocate. (Click here to read more.)
TYPE OF PROGRAM: school-based
CONTACT: Melynda Stone, executive director
PHONE: 918-343-2530
E-MAIL: gmstone@claremorewireless.com

CLAREMORE
Big Brothers Big Sister of Rogers County (See listing under Statewide Programs)
TYPE OF PROGRAM: School-based and community-based
CONTACT: Jessica Wilbourn, Area Director
PHONE: 918-283-1397
E-MAIL: Jessica.wilbourn@bbbsok.org

Volunteers for Youth PAL Program is a school based mentoring program that pairs an adult (mentor) with a particular student (mentee) for the weekly meetings. The meetings take place at the school site during the school day. Mentors strive to become the student’s friend, role model, motivator and personal advocate. (Click here to read more.)
TYPE OF PROGRAM: school-based
CONTACT: Melynda Stone, executive director
PHONE: 918-343-2530
E-MAIL: gmstone@claremorewireless.com

CUSHING
Big Brothers/Big Sisters (See listing under Statewide Programs)
TYPE OF PROGRAM: School-based and community-based
PHONE: 405-624-9922

EL RENO
The Side-by-Side Mentoring Program, launched in El Reno Public Schools in 2004, matches mentors and students in the 3rd-5th grades. The organization offers a variety of mentoring opportunities, including one-to-one matches as well as matches between a high school student and an elementary student. Businesses and organizations are always welcomed and encouraged to participate. The program provides local training and program forms and documents.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: School-based
CONTACT: Brooke Stroman, director
PHONE: 405-262-1107
E-MAIL: bstroman@elreno.k12.ok.us

ENID
Enid's First Presbyterian Church is in its seventh year of a successful partnership with McKinley Elementary School. Originally started as a Girl Scout Gold Award program by Enid High School senior Becky Merritt, the First Presbyterian mentoring project matches each elementary student with a mentor and provides transportation from the school to the church for weekly recreational activities and time with mentors. Church coordinators supply the school with a yellow folder for each student each year. The teacher fills it out weekly, explaining areas where the child needs help. The mentor signs it, asks questions and makes comments. Each mentor is given the teacher’s phone number and/or e-mail so that they can freely communicate during the year. A new mentoring partnership with Emerson Junior High will begin during the spring 2007 semester.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: faith-based, school-based
CONTACT: Gail Wynne, First Presbyterian Church
JUNIOR HIGH CONTACT: Susanna Pippell
PHONE: 580-237-5413
E-MAIL: gailw2@suddenlink.net

FOYIL
Volunteers for Youth PAL Program is a school based mentoring program that pairs an adult (mentor) with a particular student (mentee) for the weekly meetings. The meetings take place at the school site during the school day. Mentors strive to become the student’s friend, role model, motivator and personal advocate. (Click here to read more.)
TYPE OF PROGRAM: school-based
CONTACT: Melynda Stone, executive director
PHONE: 918-343-2530
E-MAIL: gmstone@claremorewireless.com

JUSTUS-TIAWAH
Volunteers for Youth PAL Program is a school based mentoring program that pairs an adult (mentor) with a particular student (mentee) for the weekly meetings. The meetings take place at the school site during the school day. Mentors strive to become the student’s friend, role model, motivator and personal advocate. (Click here to read more.)
TYPE OF PROGRAM: school-based
CONTACT: Melynda Stone, executive director
PHONE: 918-343-2530
E-MAIL: gmstone@claremorewireless.com

KINGSTON
INTEGRIS Health established the Positive Directions Mentoring Program to pair mentors from Marshall County Medical Center in Madill with students at Kingston Elementary. The mission of Positive Directions is to provide the educational support necessary to enhance the learning experience of at-risk students. Our goals and objectives are to build self-esteem, provide positive role models, provide assistance in overcoming negative behaviors, and improve classroom participation and academic success of children. Our mentors spend one hour per week, during the school day, with their assigned student throughout the school year. Our returning mentors continue to work with their student from the previous year in order to provide the continuity these students desperately need.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: Corporate-sponsored, school-based
CONTACT: Kathy Lowder
PHONE: 405-717-9871
E-MAIL: kathy.lowder@integrisok.com

LAWTON
Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Cleveland County – NOW SERVING LAWTON (See listing under Statewide Programs)
TYPE OF PROGRAM: School-based and community-based
PHONE: 405-364-3722
E-MAIL: info@bbbs-cc.org

Oklahoma Transition to Education and Employment through Mentoring (OK-TEEM), serving Caddo and Comanche counties, is a program for young adults with disabilities who are between the ages of 16 and 26. The goal of OK-TEEM is to assist the young adults in transitioning to either higher education and/or meaningful employment through a mentoring relationship.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: School-based and community-based
CONTACT: Karren Mackay-Mitzs, program coordinator
PHONE: 580-355-3802
E-MAIL: kmitzs@ou.edu

MANITOU
The Southwest Oklahoma Juvenile Center is a state facility operated within the Office of Juvenile Affairs. The Center houses 78 young men between the ages of 13-20 who have been placed in their custody by the state court system. Mentors can meet with the young men one night a week from 7-8 p.m. Currently the Center has 26 mentors with 30 boys involved. Many young men at the Center come from broken homes and have had little if any positive male role models in their lives.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: Community Based
CONTACT: Janet Johnson
PHONE: 580-397-3511 ext. 230.
EMAIL: Janet.Johnson@oja.ok.gov

MOORE
Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Cleveland County (See listing under Statewide Programs)
TYPE OF PROGRAM: School-based and community-based
PHONE: 405-364-3722
E-MAIL: info@bbbs-cc.org

MUSKOGEE
In the Muskogee Public Schools' Power of an Hour Program, K-12 students are referred by their teachers for the mentoring program. Mentors are asked to sign a commitment for one hour per week for one school year. Mentors must pass a background check, attend the training and a site orientation before mentoring can begin. During the training, mentors are encouraged to be a friend, role model, coach and confidant to the student. The objectives of the mentoring program are to increase self esteem, develop conflict resolution skills and strategies, help with behavior modification, develop personal responsibility, help set goals for the future, to help the student become a more productive member of society, to help the student through difficult or challenging situations, and to help gain skills and confidence to be responsible for their own future. The mission of the mentoring program is as follows: Believing that all students can be productive citizens, the Muskogee Public Schools Mentor Program is designed to increase their opportunities for success. Individuals interested in serving as a mentor can apply online at the website below.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: School-based
CONTACT: Leslie Parks, Mentor Coordinator
PHONE: 918-684-3700 ext. 1640

NEWKIRK
A.R.M.S. (Adult Role Models) is a program designed to target youth in single parent homes involving children ages five to 17 years old.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: school-based and community-based
CONTACT: Leslie Evans, Program Coordinator
PHONE: 580-762-8341

NORMAN
Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Cleveland County (See listing under Statewide Programs)
TYPE OF PROGRAM: School-based and community-based
PHONE: 405-364-3722
E-MAIL: info@bbbs-cc.org

The Academic All-State Alumni Mentoring Program, coordinated by the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence with funding from the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, matches former Academic All-State scholars with students at targeted elementary schools. Each mentor spends at least one hour a week volunteering one-to-one with an assigned elementary school student.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: School-based
CONTACT: Jennifer Geren
PHONE: 405-236-0006
E-MAIL: jgeren@ofe.org

Literacy and Justice for All provides tutoring in core subjects or as enrichment for primarily Native American and Hispanic students but will serve everyone. The organization works with ages 5 to adult and also provides tutoring in ACT or GED prep. Tutors are advanced high school students, college level, or professionals involved with various social justice issues.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: Faith-based
CONTACT: Gabe and Kadin Scott, St. Stephen's Methodist Church
PHONE: (405) 321-8419
E-MAIL: lucindafrancis2@yahoo.com

OKLAHOMA CITY
The Academic All-State Alumni Mentoring Program, coordinated by the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence with funding from the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, matches former Academic All-State scholars with students at targeted elementary schools. Each mentor spends at least one hour a week volunteering one-to-one with an assigned elementary school student.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: School-based
CONTACT: Jennifer Geren
PHONE: 405-236-0006
E-MAIL: jgeren@ofe.org

Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Oklahoma City (See listing under Statewide Programs)
TYPE OF PROGRAM: School-based and community-based
PHONE: 405-943-8075

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Oklahoma County offers tutoring, mentoring, recreational activities and more to children ages 6-18. Club programs and services promote and enhance the development of boys and girls by instilling a sense of competence, usefulness, belonging and influence. To be eligible, a child must be a member of the Boys and Girls Club and attend the club on a consistent basis. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Oklahoma County are safe places to learn and grow -- all while having fun.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: Community-based
CONTACT: Doug Gibson
PHONE: 405-525-9191
E-MAIL: dgibson@bgcokc.org

Citizens Caring for Children trains and matches caring adult volunteers one-on-one with foster children. As foster children journey through the state foster care system they are often in need of a stable relationship. Mentors offer friendship, guidance and support. Each prospective mentor must be at least 21 years of age, go through the application and interview process, complete training sessions and consent to background checks. Mentors are required to make at least a one-year commitment to the program and attend monthly in-service meetings to receive ongoing education, training and support. The organization is currently seeking mentors in the Oklahoma City area.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: Community-based
CONTACT: Rose Harper
PHONE: 405-348-9034
E-MAIL: general@citizenscaringforchildren.org

CityCare's Whiz Kids creatively addresses Oklahoma City's inner-city social and educational crisis by matching tutor/mentors with at-risk students in the Oklahoma City Public School System. Teachers select students to participate in Whiz Kids because they are reading below their grade level and can benefit from a mentoring relationship. Tutors are paired with a child and meet weekly during the school year for a one-on-one after school tutoring session. Whiz Kids sites are churches in each school's community that donate their facility and provide tutors and an on-site coordinator. These urban churches are partnered with suburban churches to bring the resource of people back to the inner city. Each Whiz Kids session includes one hour for one-on-one tutoring, 10 minutes for snack time and 20 minutes for "Club Time" (a group session that addresses character issues with biblical principles).
TYPE OF PROGRAM: Faith-based
CONTACT: Masie Bross, director
PHONE: 405-602-2815
E-MAIL: masie@whizkidsok.org

Of all Devon Energy Corporation’s commitments to enhance educational opportunities in the community, none is more important and rewarding than the company’s tutoring program. Three years ago, Devon established a successful partnership with Mark Twain Elementary School, an inner-city, multicultural school located near downtown Oklahoma City. More than 200 tutors signed up for the 2005-06 school year, serving more than 150 students. Since the program began, test scores and grades at Mark Twain have increased dramatically, but it is the confidence the children have gained from the one-on-one attention that makes the program so successful.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: Corporate-sponsored, school-based
CONTACT: Wendi Schuur
E-MAIL: Wendi.Schuur@dvn.com

Girl Scouts of Western Oklahoma In-School Mentoring Program reaches more than 8,000 girls in area schools with a program designed to reverse some of the negative statistics among Oklahoma’s youth. The In-School Leadership Program is offered to girls in kindergarten through 5th grade, some middle schools and one alternative high school during the school day. The in-school program is offered during recess twice a month. The In-School program will focus on: Health & Nutrition, Fine Arts, Safety, Literacy, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math), Self Esteem/Self Acceptance, Time Management, Peer Pressure, and Good Citizenship. Red Lands Council is providing all the materials and training necessary for volunteer mentors.
TYPSE: School-based
CONTACT: Cherri Cummings
PHONE: (405) 528-3535
E-MAIL: ccummings@gswestok.org

Independent Living Services for Youth (ILSY) Career Coaching Program is a youth based career mentoring program that helps students in the ILSY program identify, define and follow a path to employment following high school graduation. Students in the ILSY program are those who are living alone for a compelling reason, including death of a parent, incarceration of a parent, chronic illness, or a traumatic home situation. Career coaches are local business people who are interested in the welfare of today’s youth. Coaches and students meet to discuss the student’s career interests and research educational and job opportunities. The coaches also initiate job shadowing opportunities for the student and help them complete an action plan before graduation.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: Community-based
CONTACT: Jennifer Gibson
PHONE: 405-579-9280
EMAIL: jenniferagibson@yahoo.com

INTEGRIS Health joined forces with the Oklahoma City Public School System in 1992 to launch the Positive Directions Mentoring Program. During the 2008/2009 school year, more than 420 mentors participated, donating over 6,500 hours of mentoring time. In Oklahoma City, INTEGRIS provides mentors to Dunbar Elementary, Fillmore Elementary and Western Village Academy. The mission of Positive Directions is to provide the educational support necessary to enhance the learning experience of at-risk students. Our goals and objectives are to build self-esteem, provide positive role models, provide assistance in overcoming negative behaviors, and improve classroom participation and academic success of children. Our mentors spend one hour per week, during the school day, with their assigned student throughout the school year. Our returning mentors continue to work with their student from the previous year in order to provide the continuity these students desperately need.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: Corporate-sponsored, school-based
CONTACT: Kathy Lowder
PHONE: 405-717-9871
E-MAIL: kathy.lowder@integrisok.com

Kids Hope USA is a national mentoring program which pairs one church with one school. First Baptist Church is partnered with Eugene Fields Elementary located at 15th and Klein. After training with carefully prepared material from Kids Hope USA, each mentor meets with one child- the same child- an hour per week during the school day. Mentors commit to a minimum of two years with the same child. Paired with each mentor is a prayer parter who prays for that specific child’s need throughout the mentoring relationship. Mentors are required to be members of FBC. Kids Hope’s mission statement is: One child, one church, one school, one hour.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: School-based and Faith-based
CONTACT: Marie Davis, director
PHONE: 405-737-5561
E-MAIL: marie_davis@sbcglobal.net

The Oklahoma Goodwill Industries’ GoodGuides™ program engages adult volunteers in the OKC metro area who commit to supporting, guiding, and being a friend to a young person for a period of at least one year. GoodGuides™ mentors are good listeners, encouraging, supportive, flexible, patient, tolerant, and respectful of individual differences. Benefits include:
•Personal fulfillment: making a difference for a youth in need
•Satisfaction: helping someone mature, progress, and achieve goals
•Personal growth: training sessions and group activities
•Personal ongoing support and supervision
•Mentee/Mentor group activities, complimentary tickets to community evens, and recognition events
TYPE OF PROGRAM: Community-based
CONTACT: Bob Rennebohm, program manager
PHONE: 405.278.7136
E-MAIL: bobr@goodwill.org

Project Boys2men is a highly structured disciplinary program for males, ages 10-17 years-old, from the inner city. Our mission is to preserve the dignity and quality of young men by being a positive influence. Project Boys2men works to empower troubled youth and their families through the provision of quality and effective programs, mentorship, and education. Our primary goal is to instill respect, discipline, motivation, teamwork, self control and positive decision making skills in young men. Mentors provide one-on-one guidance, discipline, activities, and encouragement to at risk youth.
TYPE: Community-based
CONTACT: Leander Williams
PHONE: 405-525-2324
EMAILl: projectboys2men@sbcglobal.net

RSVP America Reads' volunteers, age 55 and older, are linked with elementary school age children, throughout the greater Oklahoma City area who are struggling in reading, math, science and other school related subjects. RSVP volunteers receive free supplemental accident and liability insurance while driving to and from the school and the whole time he/she is volunteering. In addition, limited funds are available for volunteer mileage reimbursement for those on limited incomes.
TYPE: School-based
CONTACT: Beth Patterson
PHONE: 405-605-3110
E-MAIL: beth.patterson@rsvpokc.org

The Sonic Tutor Tot Program is a partnership between Sonic Headquarters and Wilson Arts Integration School. The partnership provides tutors to help young people improve literacy and reading comprehension, supplies volunteers to assist the faculty and staff and provides financial assistance for field trips, yearbooks and other school projects. Sonic employees tutor one hour every week or every other week with a Tutor Buddy, and their time at the school counts as time at work.
Each year, Sonic and its employees organize a winter holiday party during which each student receives presents, cookies and juice. Additionally, those students with a Sonic Tutor Tot, as the Sonic tutors are known, come to Sonic Headquarters for a special luncheon at the end of the school year.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: Corporate-sponsored, school-based
CONTACT: Lee Ann Bratten
PHONE: 225-5604
E-MAIL: leeann.bratten@sonicdrivein.com

Touchstone Youth Project, Inc. operates a program called Touchstone Climbing Club, which involves taking youth rock climbing on a weekly basis in an effort to teach vital life skills.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: Community-based
CONTACT: Brittanie Groesbeck, program contractor
PHONE: 405-842-8939
E-MAIL: touchstone@cox.net

OOLOGAH-TALALA
Volunteers for Youth PAL Program is a school based mentoring program that pairs an adult (mentor) with a particular student (mentee) for the weekly meetings. The meetings take place at the school site during the school day. Mentors strive to become the student’s friend, role model, motivator and personal advocate. (Click here to read more.)
TYPE OF PROGRAM: school-based
CONTACT: Melynda Stone, executive director
PHONE: 918-343-2530
E-MAIL: gmstone@claremorewireless.com

OWASSO
Big Brothers Big Sister of Rogers County (See listing under Statewide Programs)
TYPE OF PROGRAM: School-based and community-based
CONTACT: Jessica Wilbourn, Area Director
PHONE: 918-283-1397
E-MAIL: Jessica.wilbourn@bbbsok.org

PONCA CITY
A.R.M.S. (Adult Role Models) is a program designed to target youth in single parent homes involving children ages five to 17 years old.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: school-based and community-based
CONTACT: Leslie Evans, Program Coordinator
PHONE: 580-762-8341

POTEAU
The YES Mentoring Program is a school-based mentoring program serving students in fourth through eighth grade. Mentors spend approximately 40 minutes once a week with their mentee. The sessions are arranged during P. E., Art, Music or lunch. Sometimes the mentors remain with their mentees during their class activity or they may go to a designated site to work on a project together such as: designing t-shirts, building models, playing board games. If the weather permits, they may also go outside to play baseball, football, soccer, and/or basketball. They also may simply go for a walk on the school grounds, play on the playground equipment or just hang out and talk. State Senator Kenneth Corn, State Representative Neil Brannon, attorneys, bankers, firemen, college baseball coach, ministers, college students and other caring community citizens are among the group of caring individual who volunteer their time to help make a positive difference in the life of a child.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: School-based
CONTACT: Myrna Davis, Director
PHONE: 918-647-7723 or 918-647-7729
E-MAIL: davismyr@phs.poteau.k12.ok.us

PRYOR
Thunderbird Youth Academy is designed to provide 16-19 year old high school drop outs the opportunity to gain control over their lives. The program utilizes a structured approach to self-discipline, improving self esteem and physical fitness, thereby addressing the needs of the “whole person.” One of the most important requirements for each participant is to have at least one mentor. The role of a mentor is to serve as a role- model, friend, and advocate. Mentors are matched by gender and must be at least 21 or older. The Academy, a division of the Oklahoma National Guard and the National Guard Bureau Youth Challenge Program, is state and federally funded with no tuition charge to the family.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: Community
CONTACT: Vicki Smiddy, Mentor Coordinator
PHONE: (918) 824-4853
E-MAIL: vicki.smiddy@omd.ok.gov

SAND SPRINGS
The Lloyd E. Rader Center is a treatment facility for youth who have committed delinquent offenses and have been placed in the custody of the State Office of Juvenile Affairs. Mentors and our young men come together on campus to converse about their hopes and plans for the future. Mentors offer suggestions and a "listening ear." Mentors are often one of the few positive role models in the lives of these young men.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: Facility-based
CONTACT: DeeAnn Paisley
PHONE: 918-246-8018
E-MAIL: deeann.paisley@oja.ok.gov

SAPULPA
Caring Grands is an intergenerational one-on-one tutoring program that matches senior citizens with K-2nd grade students that are falling behind in reading. The pairs meet one or two times per week for 30 minutes. After the new children's books (new Scholastic books which are donated by Volunteers of America Oklahoma) are mastered and activities done with each title, the children take the books home to keep.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: Community-based
PHONE: (918) 224-9647
E-MAIL: creeklit@yahoo.com

SEMINOLE
Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Pottawatomie and Seminole Counties (See listing under Statewide Programs)
TYPE OF PROGRAM: School-based and community-based
PHONE: 405-275-3553
E-MAIL: shawneebbbs@aol.com

INTEGRIS Health established the Positive Directions Mentoring Program to pair mentors from INTEGRIS Seminole Medical Center with students at Northwood and Wilson elementary schools. The mission of Positive Directions is to provide the educational support necessary to enhance the learning experience of at-risk students. Our goals and objectives are to build self-esteem, provide positive role models, provide assistance in overcoming negative behaviors, and improve classroom participation and academic success of children. Our mentors spend one hour per week, during the school day, with their assigned student throughout the school year. Our returning mentors continue to work with their student from the previous year in order to provide the continuity these students desperately need.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: Corporate-sponsored, school-based
CONTACT: Kathy Lowder
PHONE: 405-717-9871
E-MAIL: kathy.lowder@integrisok.com

SEQUOYAH
Volunteers for Youth PAL Program is a school based mentoring program that pairs an adult (mentor) with a particular student (mentee) for the weekly meetings. The meetings take place at the school site during the school day. Mentors strive to become the student’s friend, role model, motivator and personal advocate. (Click here to read more.)
TYPE OF PROGRAM: school-based
CONTACT: Melynda Stone, executive director
PHONE: 918-343-2530
E-MAIL: gmstone@claremorewireless.com

SHAWNEE
Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Pottawatomie and Seminole Counties (See listing under Statewide Programs)
TYPE OF PROGRAM: School-based and community-based
PHONE: 405-275-3553
E-MAIL: shawneebbbs@aol.com

STILLWATER
Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Stillwater (See listing under Statewide Programs)
TYPE OF PROGRAM: School-based and community-based
CONTACT: Amy Hoggatt, director
PHONE: 405-624-9922
E-MAIL: bbbsstwtr@aol.com

STROUD
Jacob’s Ladder Foundation (JLF) is a community-supported educational after-school program designed to enrich elementary-age children identified with learning problems. Only children with learning challenges, identified and recommended by their regular classroom teachers, are accepted into the JLF Program.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: School-based and community-based
CONTACT: Kim A. Wheeler
PHONE: 918-968-2545
E-MAIL: kwheeler@stroudnb.com

TECUMSEH
Reading Rangers: Partners for Excellence, a partnership between Cross Timbers Elementary and the Tecumseh branch of the Pioneer Public Library System, provides mentors to 4th-grade students at Cross Timbers. Mentors are assigned to students who need extra help in reading. The mentees are also taught life skills, leadership, citizenship, and friendship. Mentors meet with their mentees at Cross Timbers Elementary twice a week on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: School-based and Community-based
CONTACT: Sue Walker, Tecumseh Public Library
PHONE: 405-598-5955
E-MAIL: swalker@pls.lib.ok.us

TULSA
The Academic All-State Alumni Mentoring Program, coordinated by the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence with funding from the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, matches former Academic All-State scholars with students at targeted elementary schools. Each mentor spends at least one hour a week volunteering one-to-one with an assigned elementary school student.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: School-based
CONTACT: Jennifer Geren
PHONE: 405-236-0006
E-MAIL: jgeren@ofe.org

Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Green Country, Inc. (See listing under Statewide Programs)
TYPE OF PROGRAM: School-based and community-based
PHONE: 918-744-4400
E-MAIL: info@bigbrothers-tulsa.org

Camp Fire USA's mission is to build caring confident youth and future leaders. By design, Camp Fire's programs, including small group experiences, after school programs, camping and environmental education, and service learning build confidence in younger children and provide hands-on youth-driven leadership experiences for older youth. Camp Fire USA is considered "group mentoring". One of our five essential elements to programming is, "We build youth and adult partnerships." The programming is designed to provide opportunities to build lasting relationships with adults by working together to design, implement and evaluate what they do. One specific Camp Fire program is the Across Ages program that pairs senior adults with local teenagers in mentoring relationships.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: Community-based
CONTACT: Mary Alice Ahlgren
PHONE: 918-592-2267
E-MAIL: maahlgren@tulsacampfire.org

Adult volunteers in the Congregation B'nai Emunah/McClure Elementary School Mentoring Program are carefully matched in a one-on-one relationship with third through fifth grade students of McClure Elementary School in Tulsa. Weekly hour-long sessions take place during the school year and include relationship building activities as well as academically oriented exercises. As the program enters its third year, officials anticipate more than 100 ongoing mentor/mentee matches during the 2006-2007 academic year. Mentoring takes place in a portable classroom which has been designated as the "mentoring center." The program is self-contained, with a computer, books, learning resources, games, sports equipment, and arts and crafts materials.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: School-based
CONTACT: Sally Donaldson, Director of Community Development
PHONE: 918-583-7121
E-MAIL: sdonaldson@bnaiemunah.com

Going to Bat for Tulsa Kids is designed to prepare students to: (a) complete the educational process successfully; (b) participate productively in our society; (c) bond with an adult mentor who can expose the student to interests, opportunities and talents that otherwise might be overlooked by the student, and (d) work within a climate that is characterized by high expectations, respect for academic excellence, mutual respect, caring and personal support.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: School-based
CONTACT: Paula Royce
PHONE: 918-587-3888
E-MAIL proyce@resonancetulsa.org

The Kendall Whittier, Inc. Youth Mentoring Program offers an enriched after-school experience for K-8th grade students in Tulsa's Kendall Whittier neighborhood. We provide recreation time, academic support, fitness & nutrition, character education, and fun. Many students need extra support in English literacy skills, and mentors are needed to help them succeed. Our program follows a year-round school calendar and offers a summer camp in July to provide students with as much consistency as possible.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: School-based
CONTACT: Shalece Moback, Program Director
PHONE: (918) 587-1150
E-MAIL: kwyouthmentoring@yahoo.com

The Lloyd E. Rader Center is a treatment facility for youth who have committed delinquent offenses and have been placed in the custody of the State Office of Juvenile Affairs. Mentors and our young men come together on campus to converse about their hopes and plans for the future. Mentors offer suggestions and a "listening ear." Mentors are often one of the few positive role models in the lives of these young men.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: Facility-based
CONTACT: DeeAnn Paisley
PHONE: 918-246-8018
E-MAIL: deepai@oja.state.ok.us

The North Tulsa Youth Program provides alternatives to gang involvement, encouraging positive development and helping youth to avoid criminal behavior. The program matches mentors with at-risk youth (7th – 12th grades) in North Tulsa. The targeted youth have identified risk factors such as truancy, difficulty in school, family conflict, alcohol / drug activity, and involvement in the juvenile court system. Upon registering for the program, youth begin participating in group skill-building activities and are assigned a mentor. Mentors actively participate in the lives of these youth, meeting with them at least once a week and sharing in a variety of activities, including field trips, tutoring, sports and movies.
TYPE: Community-based
CONTACT: Eddie Evans, Youth Services of Tulsa
PHONE: 918-382-4484
E-MAIL: eevans@yst.org

Mentors at Tulsa Public Schools' Sequoyah Elementary School meet one-on-one with their mentee for an hour a week throughout the school year.
TYPE: School-based
CONTACT: Dianna Potts
PHONE: 918-746-9360
E-MAIL: pottsdi@tulsaschools.org

Street School Mentoring Program is the only tuition free, non-profit, alternative high school of choice in the Tulsa area that provides education, therapeutic counseling and outreach programs for at risk youth. Potential volunteers complete the mentoring application and a background check. After clearance, the mentor attends a training session and he/she is then paired with a Street School student. Each mentor meets with their mentee for one hour each week at the school.
TYPE: School-based
CONTACT: Lorraine McReynolds
PHONE: 918-833-9800
EMAIL: mcreylo@tulsaschools.org

The Tulsa Boys' Home Aftercare Mentoring program matches residents with positive adult role models that offer friendship, guidance and support, in an effort to strengthen the potential for long term success following discharge from the Tulsa Boys’ Home residential program. While each boy is at the Boys’ Home for a different reason, they all lack positive role models. Mentors serve as friends and provide guidance and support whenever it is needed. Volunteers typically visit the boys one hour a week and spend their time playing sports and games, walking or running on our nature trails or just talking about life.
TYPE: Community-based
CONTACT: PJ Shyers, mentor coordinator
PHONE: 918-245-0231
E-MAIL: pshyers@tbhinc.org

The Tulsa County Bar Association has partnered with Hamilton Middle School (6th -8th grade) to form the Lunch Buddies Program. “Lunch buddies” eat lunch with their assigned student once a week throughout the school year. Adults from all professions are invited to mentor.
TYPE: School-based
CONTACT: Jodi Turan
PHONE: 918-584-5243 or 918-699-4773
E-MAIL: jodi_jayne@oknd.uscourts.gov OR scousins@tulsabar.com

Tulsa Youth Intervention Project is a community-wide response to the gang problem in Tulsa. Mentors are asked to commit to an hour a week once a week and see their youth at their school or Workforce Tulsa. Caring adults are matched with gang or at risk of becoming gang involved youth. Initial and ongoing training is provided through Resonance and support is provided by the schools, JBDC, OJA, Palmer, and Resonance. Mentors will talk with their youth about the importance of education, becoming self-sufficient, setting and attaining goals, and healthy relationships.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: School and community based
CONTACT: Paula Royce
PHONE: 918-587-3888
EMAIL: proyce@resonancetulsa.org

The Volunteers of America Mentoring Program matches adult volunteers with children between the ages of 4 and 15 who have one or both parents in prison. Training is provided, and we ask only that you spend at least four hours with your child each month. Visits can either take place at school during lunch or at a time that is convenient for you. Activities could include helping with homework, reading, doing crafts, playing sports, having a picnic, attending a free community event, and much more. We serve the Tulsa area and children ages 4 through 15 who have at least one incarcerated parent.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: School and community based
CONTACT: Melody Charles
PHONE: 918-307-3079
EMAIL: mcharles@voaok.org

VERDIGRIS
Volunteers for Youth PAL Program is a school based mentoring program that pairs an adult (mentor) with a particular student (mentee) for the weekly meetings. The meetings take place at the school site during the school day. Mentors strive to become the student’s friend, role model, motivator and personal advocate. (Click here to read more.)
TYPE OF PROGRAM: school-based
CONTACT: Melynda Stone, executive director
PHONE: 918-343-2530
E-MAIL: gmstone@claremorewireless.com

WARNER
With the help of a three-year grant, the Warner Public School system developed the MADE Mentoring Program. The program is school-based and matches 4th through 8th grade students with adult and high school mentors. Mentors and mentees participate in cultural events, job shadowing, college visits, and community events.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: school-based
CONTACT: Betty Martin
PHONE: 918-463-5328
E-MAIL: bmartin@warner.k12.ok.us

WEATHERFORD
The Academic All-State Alumni Mentoring Program, coordinated by the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence with funding from the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, matches former Academic All-State scholars with students at targeted elementary schools. Each mentor spends at least one hour a week volunteering one-to-one with an assigned elementary school student.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: School-based
CONTACT: Jennifer Geren
PHONE: 405-236-0006
E-MAIL: jgeren@ofe.org

Weatherford Public School mentors at Burcham Elementary School meet once a week at 7:30 a.m. with one child to read for fun. Mentors participating in the Early Bird Reading Program are not teaching the child to read, but fostering a love of reading. It accomplishes several things: an adult/child relationship, love of reading, practice of reading, and an improvement in reading. This is for all first grade students, regardless of reading level. Mentors are retired teachers, business people, high school and college students, parents and grandparents.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: School-based
CONTACT: Ginger Read
PHONE: 580-774-0812
E-MAIL: gread@wpsok.org

YUKON
INTEGRIS Health established the Positive Directions Mentoring Program to pair mentors from INTEGRIS Canadian Valley Regional Hospital with students at Shedeck Elementary. The mission of Positive Directions is to provide the educational support necessary to enhance the learning experience of at-risk students. Our goals and objectives are to build self-esteem, provide positive role models, provide assistance in overcoming negative behaviors, and improve classroom participation and academic success of children. Our mentors spend one hour per week, during the school day, with their assigned student throughout the school year. Our returning mentors continue to work with their student from the previous year in order to provide the continuity these students desperately need.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: Corporate-sponsored, school-based
CONTACT: Kathy Lowder
PHONE: 405-717-9871
E-MAIL: kathy.lowder@integrisok.com

In 1969, Yukon Public Schools established Helping Hands, a group of volunteers who assist teachers and work with students. Realizing the need for a mentoring program, the school district implemented a mentoring component to the volunteer organization in 1996. Currently, 131 Helping Hands volunteers serve as mentors, with a total of 578 volunteers helping in other areas. Yukon’s mentoring program is focused on working with students who are struggling with self-esteem or family issues. Mentoring takes place during school hours at the student’s school, and child care is provided for a small fee to mentors who have children between the ages of 18 months to 5 years.
TYPE OF PROGRAM: School-based
CONTACT: Christine Sorrels, director, or Christal Whitmire
PHONE: 405-354-3716
E-MAIL: Christine.Sorrels@yukonps.com

These mentoring resources are provided as a service of the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence, and links to other mentoring programs and resources do not necessarily represent the policies and positions of the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence.