On April 24 at the Wallenpaupack Bowling Alley, you can help support Pike County's youth
mentoring program. Bowl for Kids' Sake is a fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Pike
and
Wayne Counties. Grab a few friends and get a team together-we'd love for you to come and
support the cause! RSVP on Facebook - http://bit.ly/bToOIl
Here's an update on Pike County's youth mentoring program from coordinator Angela
Tribus:
Since the program’s inception and launch last August, with the help of the Voluntary Action
Center of NEPA and Cindy Beeman, the Big Brothers Big Sisters Program Director, the PCYC
Mentor Program has successfully partnered with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.
Through this
alliance, the program has been able operate under the supervision, and with the standards
and
recognition, of a nationally recognized and acclaimed organization.
With their help, we have interviewed Big and Little candidates and families to assess their
qualification for program participation, run criminal background checks and child abuse
clearances to ensure the greatest possible child safety, participated in training sessions in
regional and national headquarters, planned major fundraisers created matches between
enrolled
participants, and provided match support.
Bowl for Kids' Sake is a fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Pike and Wayne Counties.
Grab a
few friends and get a team together-we'd love for you to come and support the cause!
To date, there are 5 active matches in Pike County, with another 8 Bigs and 5 Littles enrolled
and
ready to be matched, and as many applicants as possible will be interviewed, cleared, and
matched in months ahead. As always, thanks for your support and awareness of our efforts!
If you
know anyone who would like to be involved in the program either as a mentor or a youth
participant, or you’d like more information, please don’t hesitate to contact us directly at
mentor@pikeyouth.org.
For Immediate Release: Youth Mentorship Service Project Launches
Local citizens have joined together to establish a youth mentorship program in Pike County, part
of the “United We Serve” initiative that kicked off this week. The initiative is a national effort by
President Obama to engage more Americans in serving their communities this summer,
particularly focusing on four key areas: education, healthcare, energy and community renewal.
United We Serve officially launched on June 22 and will last 12 weeks until September 11,
which will be marked by a national day of service and remembrance. “This summer, I’m calling on
all of you to make volunteerism and community service part of your daily life and the life of this
nation,” the President said in a video message on the initiative’s Web site, www.serve.gov.
On June 9, the Pike County Youth Coalition (PCYC) convened a preliminary meeting of over a
dozen non-profit, civic and government leaders to discuss the initiative and decide what type of
volunteer project was needed in the County. PCYC’s Executive Director, Nick Troiano, was invited
to be part of a group of service organization leaders that were briefed on the initiative by First
Lady Michelle Obama in late May, giving the group ample lead time in planning.
“When we began this process, we did not know what type of project we were going to undertake,”
Troiano said. “But we did recognize that if we were to make a significant impact on any issue our
community faces, it will take a group effort,” he said.
Using the recently completed Wayne/Pike Needs Assessment as a foundation, the group decided
that a mentorship program that paired responsible citizens with at-risk youth is both needed and
would greatly benefit the County. “Youth Support” was identified as one of the top five priorities
in the assessment.
“This project will meet a real need in our County, and I applaud the group for its efforts,” said
Harry Forbes, Pike County Commissioner and a member of the project’s steering committee.
According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, young people who are
mentored by a volunteer, even for just a few hours per week, will improve their performance in
school, increase their self-confidence, and be less likely to consume drugs or alcohol.
"Anytime that we as citizens can keep our youth on the right track and involved in worthwhile
activities, the less likely it is that they will take a wrong turn toward becoming unproductive
citizens,” said State Representative John Siptroth, one of the project’s supporters. “I encourage
community members to become involved,” he added.
The project’s steering committee is seeking ideas and input from the community, including
those who want to help organize the program. They are encouraged to contact
mentor@pikeyouth.org. More information, including a sign up form for young people looking for
a mentor and volunteers who are interested in mentoring, is located at
www.pikeyouth.org/mentor.
Our site is up at www.dvsbonline.com, and our first meeting will be tonight - BUT, some technical
difficulties may prevent everything from working correctly. We really are up against the clock, and
we'll try our best, but no promises can be made. If tonight is unsuccessful, please check back in July.
Thank you for your patience.
The Pike County Youth Coalition will be convening a meeting on June 9 to discuss a national service initiative and how our community can be a part of it. The letter below is being sent to various service
organizations and community leaders.
Pike County Summer Service Initiative
To Whom It May Concern:
I recently had the honor of joining the First Lady in Washington, DC for a meeting to discuss a
new service initiative that will be launched next month by the Corporation for National and
Community Service. I am excited to share what I have learned with you and to gather your feedback.
Hopefully, you and/or your organization will be interested in becoming involved.
The Summer Service Initiative is designed to engage citizens across the country in high-impact,
community-based service projects. It will be announced with a call to service by the President in
early June and take place between June 22 and September 11. The focus will be on economic
recovery, particularly around education, energy/environment, healthcare and community renewal. Its
purpose is to bolster civic engagement and to establish public/private partnerships to develop
sustainable service opportunities for all Americans.
At a time when we face tremendous challenges, Americans have demonstrated a desire to give
back at levels unprecedented in decades. The initiative aims to funnel this energy into meeting
growing social needs, town-by-town and city-by-city. The White House and federal agencies will be
generating excitement about this national initiative and providing resources through www.serve.gov;
it will be our task to locally develop one or more ways to engage the many citizens that are expected
to become interested and look to contribute in their own backyard.
This is an extraordinary opportunity for community leaders, volunteers and organizations in
Pike County to come together to work on a project this summer that focuses on specific issues within
our own community, while engaging and expanding our local volunteer base. The recently
completed Wayne/Pike Needs Assessment provides a great place to start in identifying one or more
areas of focus for such a project.
You or a representative from your organization are cordially invited to attend a meeting on
Tuesday, June 9 at the County Administration Building’s basement conference room to brainstorm
and plan a project for the summer service initiative. The meeting will either be held at 9:00 AM or
7:00 PM, depending on when more people are able to attend. Please RSVP at your earliest
convenience, indicating if either or both times are preferable. The invitation is open, so please feel
free to forward this to any person or organization you believe might be interested.
It is my hope that we can create a consensus at this meeting about what kind of project we can
jointly launch on June 22 and how we each can contribute to its success. I look forward to hearing
back from you.
