Goodwill Industries Invites Community Members to Mentoring Open House

January 17, 2014, Press Release

Johnstown, PA, January 17, 2014—Goodwill of the Southern Alleghenies is hosting “Becoming a Volunteer Mentor: A GoodGuides Open House” to inspire members of the community to consider participation with its GoodGuides Youth Mentoring Program. This casual event will be held on Thursday, January 30 from 5:00-7:00 P.M. at the Greater Johnstown Career and Technology Center, Room C103.

For anyone who has thought about becoming a mentor, this is an opportunity to talk to Goodwill Industries’ GoodGuides staff, current and past mentors, and youth whose lives have changed for the better through the program. The event will also celebrate January as National Mentoring Month.

Through a structured and selective process, GoodGuides matches caring adult volunteers to serve as role models for youth ages 12–17, creating a necessary support system by building positive relationships. The program also provides youth with opportunities to gain the skills they need to succeed in high school, postsecondary education and training, and future careers.

Mentoring works! Studies show that youth who are mentored experience improved self-esteem, improved school attendance, increased chance of graduating high school, increased chance of pursuing postsecondary education, decreased hostility, decreased chance of using drugs or alcohol, and many other benefits.

Mentors also report many benefits including the satisfaction of having positively impacted the life of another; satisfaction of helping a youth to mature, progress, and achieve goals; and more fulfillment with the commitment as a community volunteer.

Since Goodwill Industries launched GoodGuides in November 2009, the agency has trained 139 volunteer mentors who have passed stringent state and federal clearances including the FBI clearance.

A total of 155 youth have been matched with mentors in either one-on-one or group settings and have received a minimum of two hours of career development time per month for a full year. Many more youth are waiting to be matched with a mentor.

For more information, contact Cindy O’Connor, Program Manager at (814) 536-3536, ext. 304 or coconnor@goodwilljohnstown.org.

Goodwill Industries of the Conemaugh Valley (GICV), Inc. is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1962 to empower individuals and families with employment barriers to achieve their fullest potential in the community through work services. Headquartered in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, GICV serves individuals with disabilities and disadvantages, dislocated workers, youth, and other job seekers throughout south central Pennsylvania in the counties of Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Huntingdon, Indiana, Somerset and a portion of Westmoreland by providing education and career services as well as job placement and postemployment supports. GICV is a community-based member organization of Goodwill Industries International, a 179-member network in the U.S., Canada, and 13 other countries. Learn more at www.gicv.org.
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