RALEIGH – Gov. Mike Easley has proclaimed January as Mentoring Month to encourage North Carolinians to become mentors and to recognize those already involved in mentoring.  The effort is part of National Mentoring Month.  The theme for this year’s national observance is “Share What You Know.  Mentor a Child.”

“Research demonstrates that young people who are mentored are more likely to succeed in school and are less likely to engage in violent behavior and drug use,” said Easley.  “I encourage North Carolinians to volunteer their time to help build a stronger future for the more than 500,000 children in our state who need an adult mentor.”

The annual “Thank Your Mentor Day” will be held on Jan. 24, when citizens are urged to thank and honor their role models.  Participants may also post a tribute to their mentors and learn more about becoming a mentor on the campaign website, www.whomentoredyou.org.

The Harvard Mentoring Project of the Harvard School of Public Health and the MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership developed National Mentoring Month.  The Corporation for National and Community Service will partner with those groups and other nonprofits to lead the 2008 national campaign.

The N.C. Mentoring Partnership, which works to expand mentoring efforts throughout North Carolina, is the local affiliate of the National Mentoring Partnership and is part of the Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service in the Governor’s Office and Communities in Schools of North Carolina.  The partnership conducts training, manages a statewide public relations campaign to recruit more mentors, strengthens mentoring partnerships and creates new mentoring efforts.

To learn more about the mentoring programs in North Carolina, visit the Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service’s website at www.volunteernc.org or call the N.C. Mentoring Partnership toll free at 1-800-820-4483.