|
Volume
16, Number 1, Fall 2005
4-H Mentoring Programs change
lives of youth and mentors
 Mentor Cal Steele of Spring Lake, MI, enjoys the time he spends with youth participants in the Journey Youth Mentoring Progam.
By Megan Townsend
Cal Steele of Spring Lake, Mich., was flipping through the morning newspaper when an advertisement caught his attention. The Michigan State University (MSU) Extension office in Ottawa County was looking for adults to serve as mentors to troubled youth.
| MSU Extension and Michigan 4-H are helping Mentor Michigan achieve its mission of matching the state’s more than 2,300 youth on waiting lists with mentors. |
“I thought to myself, ‘Well, I owe this community something,’” says 79-year-old Steele, a retired engineer and mentor for the Journey Youth Mentoring Program. “So, it’s sort of like a payback, but also a concern with the problems youth face. They deal with situations I never had to when I was growing up.”
Gov. Jennifer Granholm and First Gentleman Dan Mulhern are also concerned with the future of Michigan’s youth, which is why they founded and are committed to expanding Mentor Michigan, a program that works to ensure every young person has an ongoing relationship with a stable, caring adult.
And with mentoring programs in 22 counties, MSU Extension and Michigan 4-H are helping Mentor Michigan achieve its mission of matching the state’s more than 2,300 youth on waiting lists with mentors.
Read this story.
|
MSU Extension
4-H Responds to Hurricane Katrina
Michigan State University Extension offices and Michigan 4-H clubs have moved quickly to help those affected by Hurricane Katrina, responding with everything from bake sales and car washes to encouraging monetary donations.
According to Mark Hansen, MSUE emergency management coordinator, the best way to contribute is through monetary donations to established national relief organizations. Hansen says that monetary donations are best because food, clothing and blankets may not always be the items most needed.
Visit the MSU Extension Emergency Management Web page at for more suggestions and information.
|
