Fuller Center Seeks Teen & Adult Mentors for Children and Youth

Boca Raton, FL – Fuller Center, a not-for-profit organization focused on meeting the needs of the children and families in our community, is accepting applications for its mentorship program. Adults and teens over the age of 16 with a desire to make a difference in the lives of deserving children and youth should consider becoming part of this United Way of Palm Beach County funded program.

The program goal is to provide youth ages 6-20 with access to a positive, caring relationship with a non-parental adult or teen. Mentors and mentees share experiences that promote students’ ability to build positive relationships, resulting in positive life outcomes. Mentors must pass a background screening and commit to mentoring a minimum of once per week for one year. Once matched, mentors and mentees meet after school and in the summer weekly for at least one hour at one of the two Fuller Center campuses. Mentors focus on experiences, interests, developing positive and mutually beneficial relationships, and assist with homework.

Benefits to the mentee include:

Practical advice, encouragement and support
Experiences learned from others
Increased social and academic confidence
Empowerment to make decisions
Development of communication, study, and personal skills
Development of strategies for dealing with both personal and academic issues
Help in identifying goals and establishing a sense of direction
Valuable insight into the future
Opportunity to make new friends

Most mentors have shared that the personal return they receive from this experience far exceeds what they put into it.

Benefits of being a mentor:

Improvement of communication and personal skills
Development of leadership and management qualities
Reinforcement of study skills and knowledge of new subject(s)
Increased confidence and motivation
Enhanced résumé and life experiences
Increased circle of friends
Recognition for skills and experience
A sense of purpose, fulfillment and personal growth

Mentors are trained to help build social skills and trust, work on relationship-building, and provide academic support, which are many of the soft skills that contribute to lifelong success. Mentors work with the same child or a small group of children for a one-year period, to further ensure stability and success.

“We believe it’s critical that we come together as a community to help one another, particularly as our students begin a new school year, after going through such a challenging time,” said Ellyn Okrent, CEO of the Fuller Center. “This is an opportunity for people to find a meaningful sense of purpose and do something that will make a huge difference in the lives of our kids.”

Those who want to contribute but may not have the time to dedicate to the mentorship program are welcome to participate in the Adopt-a-Class program with a $1,500 contribution that will fund a classroom’s needs for the entire school year. Those who

adopt a class may participate as frequently as desired for a year to celebrate birthdays and holidays or visit at a scheduled time to interact with the children of their adopted class for a year.

To learn more, please contact Olga Bearhope at obearhope@fullercenterfl.org or at 561-391-7274, ext. 136.

About the Fuller Center

For more than 50 years, the Fuller Center’s mission has been to embrace, educate, and empower hardworking, under-resourced families and children to reach their full potential. We build a positive future through education for the more than 900 children (infants through teens) who we serve annually, as well as 600 of their family members. The Fuller Center reaches families more than 40 zip codes throughout Palm Beach County.

Almost all Fuller Center working parents – 92% – serve as essential or frontline workers, working in hospitals, retail outlets, restaurants, and hotels. They are our bus drivers, store clerks and cashiers, farmworkers, delivery drivers, security guards, bank tellers, office workers, healthcare workers, home health aides, hospital orderlies and cafeteria workers, and childcare and eldercare workers.

Our programs help empower children to start school prepared, succeed academically, and break the generational cycle of poverty through quality early childhood education, after-school and summer camp programs, our new private elementary school, teen leadership programs, and comprehensive, family-centered support services. They also empower parents who are essential to keeping our local economy open and who provide the vital services we all count on.

The Fuller Center also offers mentoring programs and adult on-the-job training, coaching, and employment support, and no-cost transportation from 12 area schools to our campus-based after-school programs. We serve more than 1,800 nutritious meals and snacks daily.

In addition, Fuller Center provides opportunities for local colleges and universities to place undergraduate and graduate students in internships and child development practicums.