Immokalee Foundation: Become a mentor and make a difference in a child's life

Immokalee High School student Joanna Chavez, right, is seen with her Take Stock in Children mentor, Kay Fumo.

Loura Lozano, an Immokalee High School sophomore, with her mother, Hilda Lozano, and TIF mentor Jean Lemmon.

As we begin a new year, the Immokalee Foundation also partakes in a month-long celebration and outreach campaign to promote and encourage mentoring. Now in its 11th year, National Mentoring Month spotlights the importance of mentors and the need for every child to have the guidance of a caring adult and proper role model in their life.

Research tells us mentoring does work. In fact, it has been shown mentoring programs implemented effectively promote positive developmental outcomes in youth within the domains of work and school, mental and physical health and behavior. At the Immokalee Foundation (TIF), our goal is to help students improve self-esteem, social skills and knowledge of career opportunities. Our mentors help us do that and more.

Since 2001, TIF has supported the matching of mentors with qualified seventh-, eighth- and ninth-grade students from Immokalee Middle School and Immokalee High School through its scholarship and mentoring program, Take Stock in Children. Those students who successfully fulfill their required pledge to earn good grades, exhibit good behavior and meet weekly with a mentor are awarded a full college scholarship upon high school graduation. It is a commitment taken on not only by the students, but the volunteer mentors as well.

A community mentor is required to meet with a student once a week for about 45 minutes during school hours throughout the school year, plus attend school activities and events when necessary – all in an effort to support the kids and help them find their own path to success. By sharing their time, knowledge and experience, these mentors are setting a positive example and making a true impact in the lives of these children – one that will last a lifetime.

Although the program currently has more than 80 community volunteers from Lee and Collier counties, more mentors are needed. Children are our future. Mentoring helps them realize their value and potential and change their lives. As a matter of fact, the state of Florida's TSIC program claims that mentored youth tend to have a more trusting relationship with their parents or legal guardians, which improves their communication. They also feel they receive more emotional support from their friends.

Students raised in Immokalee face bleak future with a low graduation rate and a lack of opportunities. Last year, 100 percent of the students in Immokalee inducted into the program in their 7th grade graduated from high school and continued their post-secondary education. Much of this success rate is due to the dedication of volunteer mentors. We couldn't do what we do without them.

A retired nurse and Pennsylvania resident prior to moving to Naples, Jean Lemmon is a staunch supporter of the Take Stock in Children program and serves as a mentor to Immokalee High School sophomore, Loura Lozano. Lemmon praises the program, saying it "offers mentors all necessary support and guidance." This includes new member orientation and quarterly training.

All mentors must go through an application process that includes a background screening. Most importantly, mentors must have a strong belief in the importance of education and a positive, enthusiastic attitude.

For Lemmon, that's not a problem. "The Immokalee Foundation's Take Stock in Children program allows me the opportunity to make a difference in one promising young life. I'm finding it to be a wonderful experience," she said.

Kay Fumo currently mentors two Immokalee High School students: ninth grader, Francisco Cuevas and tenth grader, Joanna Chavez. Now in her fourth year as a mentor, Fumo says she gets just as much out of the experience as the students. "I find spending time with these bright, hard-working young students very rewarding," she said. "It enriches my life as I am able to participate in theirs."

This month, TIF will host an official ceremony inducting 27 new students into the TSIC program, therefore the need for additional mentors is great.

As we recognize and thank all of our wonderful volunteer mentors this month, I encourage everyone to take a moment to think of the mentors in their life – teachers, coaches, friends, business associates – and thank them. Most of all, I encourage you to take the steps toward changing the life of a child and becoming a mentor.

The Immokalee Foundation has a range of programs that focus on building pathways to success through college and vocational school, mentoring and tutoring, and opportunities for broadening experiences and life skills development. To learn more about volunteering as a mentor or for additional information, call (239) 430-9122 or visit www.immokaleefoundation.org.

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Liz Allbritten is executive director of the Immokalee Foundation and can be reached at liz.allbritten@immokaleefoundation.org.