State Fund Volunteers Exemplify Spirit of National Mentoring Month
January 2007 is National Mentoring Month. This national event recognizes the positive influence of mentoring programs and mentors on the young people they serve. For State Fund, it is also an opportunity to pay tribute to our employees who, through the State Fund Mentoring Program, have committed time and energy to help young people achieve academic and social success.
More than 300 State Fund employees give back to the community by serving as mentor volunteers. Our Mentoring Program encompasses individual projects as well as larger efforts that engage employees from our offices throughout California. Program activities pair caring State Fund mentors with local youth. The relationship exposes the children to important messages and examples that can help them understand the importance of making good choices in life.
Groundhog Job Shadow Day
Every year, State Fund offices devote a day to host local middle and high-school students for Groundhog Job Shadow Day. Individual students “shadow” a State Fund mentor throughout the course of a normal workday and get a firsthand perspective of how skills learned in school are essential in the office. Groundhog Job Shadow Day provides the “shadow” students with numerous benefits:
- An awareness of the educational achievement and skills they will need for success in their own career paths.
- An opportunity to learn about career skills and options they might not otherwise be able to explore.
- The development of a relationship with a career-minded professional.
Mentor Pen Pal Program
By establishing a correspondence relationship between State Fund employees and local students, the Mentor Pen Pal Program pays dividends in self-expression, role modeling, and skill development. Under the program, State Fund employees and students correspond regularly by written letter at intervals throughout the school year. At the end of the school year, the students are invited to the office to meet their Mentor Pen Pal.
This type of mentoring presents the students with several opportunities:
- Sharing concerns, interests, hobbies, and dreams with a caring adult.
- Receiving advice and encouragement from someone who has achieved success and taken an interest in their lives.
- Practicing and improving their written expression as well as grammar and spelling skills.
The work of the Mentor Pen Pal Program contributes to communities across the state. Among the highlights for 2006:
- At State Fund’s Sacramento Regional Office, employees carried on correspondences with students from Castori Elementary School.
- Employees from State Fund’s Home Office became Mentor Pen Pals with San Francisco Mission High School students.
A Month to Raise Awareness
State Fund facilitates and supports the participation of employees in our Mentoring Program and other community-partnership activities. One objective of National Mentoring Month (NMM) is raising awareness, among individuals and organizations, of the power of mentoring to improve a young person’s life.
The theme for NMM 2007 is “Pass it on. Become a Mentor.” If you would like more information about NMM and mentoring programs, including opportunities in your area, visit the National Mentoring Partnership and National Job Shadow Day Web sites.
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