National Mentoring Month is the nation’s largest mentoring campaign. Each January, mentoring programs use the opportunity to communicate the importance of mentor relationships and recruit volunteers.

According to the National Mentoring Partnership, one in three students grow up without mentors. At-risk youth who had a mentor were:

- 52 percent less likely than their peers to skip a day of school
- 55 percent more likely to enroll in college
- 46 percent less likely to start using drugs
- 81 percent more likely to report participating regularly in sports or extracurricular activities
- 78 percent more likely to volunteer regularly
- 130 percent more likely to hold leadership positions in a club or sports team

Cy-Fair ISD’s mentorship program encourages students to finish school and work toward future goals. More than 700 volunteers from local businesses, faith-based organizations, nonprofits and the community meet one-on-one with students of all ages for about 30 minutes each week.

To volunteer, mentors must be at least 18 years old, attend a training session, complete an application and consent to a background check.

For more information, contact Leslie Francis at 281-894-3950 or visit www.cfisd.net/en/community-involvement/community-engagement/mentor.