True Mentors Newsletter, 2Q2015

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TRUE Mentors Newsletter
April 2015

Feature Article - Thinking of Volunteering?
Get to Know - Janelle Estes
Announcements & Celebrations
Dear Friends

TRUE RELATIONSHIPS UNEARTH EXCELLENCE

Celebrations!

Congratulations!

- Kiomy, received Teacher Recognition Certificate

- Javier, gave drum performance & helped create sets for high school play, Grease

- Ezire, won an engineering contest

- Justin, made the basketball team and improved grades

Happy Birthday to Alizeah, Amanda, Angela, Baltazar, Brianna, Geony, Hanif, Skyler, Xenia

Mentors' Corner

April 14, 12 - 8 pm - Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry's

May 15 - 17 - Attend the Hoboken High School Play Shrek

May - Are you mentoring a High School Junior? Study now for the June SATs

June 6 - Get outdoors for TRUE Mentors Field Day

Thinking of Volunteering?
New Volunteers Have Great Experiences at TRUE Mentors

Photo Left: New volunteers at a training to prepare them for mentoring and the Teen Internship Program.

We introduce two of our volunteers below. We hope you find inspiration in their comments and stories.

Meet Emma Turner. She's a recent transplant to Hoboken from the UK and was looking to get involved right in her local Hoboken community. After reading up about the organization and reaching out, she's hoping that her background in marketing and public relations can help raise awareness for the organization. "I'm really excited about getting involved with such a worthwhile local organization and at such a vital stage of TRUE Mentors' development -- where telling the stories of local children and how TRUE Mentors is positively influencing their lives is so important to the growth and success of the organization," stated Turner.

Meet Pauline Noir, a Relationship Manager at TRUE Mentors. Like many other volunteers at TRUE Mentors, Pauline was looking to get involved with a local Hoboken organization. She felt that TRUE Mentors' mission aligned with her desires and reached out. "I feel lucky and blessed in my life to have had others there to support me and I wanted to give back and be involved with an organization that supported children in their development and making a difference in their life," said Noir. As Relationship Manager, she ensures that the mentor/mentee relationship is an amazing one for all involved. Noir went on to state that "helping others is providing a feeling of fulfillment and happiness."

To learn more about how you can get involved with TRUE Mentors, please visit truementors.org.

Get to Know:

Janelle Pena-

Teen Internship Program Director

Q: How does a student get involved with the teen internship program?

A: A teen in their junior or senior year must fill out a Teen Internship Application, which can be found on the TRUE Mentors website, and then be interviewed by our team. Our TIP team then matches the teens that are the best fit for each of the internships and pairs them with a mentor.

Q: Why is the internship program important?

A: The internship program is important because it gives teens the opportunity to work on a professional project in a business environment. They are also being assisted by an adult mentor who can guide them through the process.

Q: Why would you recommend a student become involved with TRUE Mentors?

A: I believe that interning and learning from a mentor are two of the best ways to create professional goals. It also gives them the opportunity to build their resume, practice interviewing, and builds confidence.

TRUE Mentors Events

Clubs: 6-8pm
(123 Jefferson St)

April 14, 21, & 28 - Dance, Music with The Fuzzy Lemons, & Structural Engineering

May 5- Ben & Jerry's Field Trip

May 12,19, & 26 - Drama & Acting Basics, Gardening in the TM garden, Police Dept.

---------------------------------------------------------

College / Career Workshops: 7 - 8pm
(123 Jefferson St)

April 22- College Essay Writing

Special Events

June 6 - Field Day, (location TBD)

Please visit our website for more information

Get Involved:

- Become a mentor! Males especially needed.

- Join our fundraising team and help plan fundraising events like our 5th annual scavenger hunt.

- Become a relationship manager and support our success in making more mentor/mentee matches! Great for people looking to use their communication and problem solving skills to support others.

- Mentor a youth in our internship program, share your professional skills with a youth and help them achieve their next step beyond high school.

- Apply to join our Board

information@truementors.org

TRUE Mentors exists to unearth the excellence of children through relationships.

Mentoring Clubs

Internships Testimonials

Dear Friends,

What an amazing first quarter for TRUE Mentors. We continue to grow at an exponential rate and I truly believe that is because of the dedication of each of you. I hope the highlights below serve to inspire you to continue volunteering, continue donating and continue sharing our cause with your friends and family.

- Received 18 male and 4 female mentor applications, just short of our goal of 20 for the MENtors in March campaign.
- Matched 14 children with mentors, an increase of 100% compared to Q1 2014.
- Class attendance averaged 21.1 children per class, an increase of 24% compared to Q1 2014.
- Celebrated with Keller Williams City Life Realty as they hosted a Masquerade Ball and raised over $10,000 for TRUE Mentors.
- Donations/Grants increased by 127% compared to Q1 2014, making all of the other stats possible.
- Added loads of new content to our website including a great video on mentoring and a testimonial on how mentoring changes the mentor.
- Spread the word through other news sources. Read them here!

I have learned so many things as leader of TRUE Mentors, but one lesson sticks out. Leadership takes time and perseverance. My first year, 2013, was a transition year. It allowed myself, the board and the strategy team to set a solid foundation for our 2014 - 2016 goals. Some parts of the plan have been painful as we started from scratch. Some parts had to be adjusted. Some parts had to be scrapped. The many celebrations above are the direct result of a hardworking leadership team with dedicated volunteers helping every step along the way. I hope you join me in celebrating the people that helped lay the foundation of TRUE Mentors and the people who continue to carry the torch today.

I also highlight this point because I remember being a volunteer. The leadership team listened to my ideas and then coached me through the lesson on perseverance and patience. I am sure that some of our volunteers have great ideas on how to improve our organization. We want to hear them. We, the leadership team, are here with open ears to listen to your ideas and I hope you take the time to email or chat with us when you have the chance.

Best,
James

James Sproule
Executive Director
TRUE Mentors
Jsproule@TRUEMentors.org
www.TRUEMentors.org

Thinking of Volunteering? New Volunteers Have Great Experiences at TRUE Mentors

Thinking of Volunteering?
New Volunteers Have Great Experiences at TRUE Mentors