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OFE News Release

Foundation to Offer Regional Workshop on How to Start a Mentoring Program

September 21, 2008
OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence will present a free, two-hour workshop titled “How to Establish a Mentoring Program” on Friday, Nov. 7, at the former McAlester High School Cafeteria, 200 E. Adams in McAlester. Registration for the event begins at 9:30 a.m., with the workshop scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon.

“Anyone in southeast Oklahoma – from school administrators and counselors to church and community leaders – is welcome to join us for this free workshop to learn how to create a successful youth mentoring program,” said Jennifer Geren, director of the foundation’s David and Molly Boren Mentoring Initiative.

As part of its mentoring initiative, the foundation is sponsoring the workshop to provide school districts, local education foundations, community organizations and individuals with the knowledge and resources necessary to establish safe and effective youth mentoring programs. Those interested in registering for the workshop can download a registration form at www.okmentors.org.

Doris Long, director of the Little Dixie Community Action Agency in Antlers, and Christine Sorrels, director of the Yukon Public School District’s Helping Hands Mentoring Program, will conduct the workshop. Topics include program design, establishing policies and procedures, creating a financial plan, marketing and program implementation, and evaluation.

The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence, a nonprofit organization founded in 1985 by then-U.S. Sen. David L. Boren, recognizes and encourages academic excellence in Oklahoma’s public schools. In 2005, the foundation launched the Boren Mentoring Initiative to promote the growth and development of school-based mentoring statewide. The initiative grew out of Boren’s own commitment to mentoring and the proven impact that mentoring can play on a student’s success in and out of the classroom.

“Think what would happen if all children in Oklahoma had mentors – someone to spend time with them, to tutor them, to love them,” Boren said. “Think how it would transform this state? It would be truly revolutionary!”

Through the mentoring initiative, the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence is working with school districts and its network of 200 public school foundations to promote mentoring as a positive step toward academic excellence. The foundation is also providing training and networking opportunities for new and established mentoring programs, and encouraging programs to follow established standards for safe and effective practice.

The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence Board of Trustees comprises leaders in business, education and public service who help promote the foundation’s mission and programs. Trustees from southeastern Oklahoma include Bill Anoatubby and Susan Paddack of ADA, John Massey of DURANT, Brian Shipp of IDABEL, Lucy F. Smith of McALESTER, Steve Holton of POTEAU, Rebecca Kennedy and Melvin Moran of SEMINOLE and R Dale Nichols of WEWOKA.

For more information on the workshop, visit www.okmentors.org or call Jennifer Geren at (405) 410-1523.