Nationally, 1 in 3 kids grow up without a mentor to help guide them socially and academically. In Northern Nevada several organizations have banned together to help get kids partnered up with one sooner. Reno Public Radio’s Marcus Lavergne has more.
Nevada Mentors has pulled together nine agencies looking for volunteers who can help steer kids through the turbulent time of adolescence.
One of those organizations is Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern Nevada, which has nearly 200 kids waiting for mentors right now. Their CEO, Liza Maupin, says these volunteers can have a positive, long-term impact like helping high schoolers cross the finish line.
“With these kids graduating high school, they’re also going on to a college or some kind of additional educational opportunity,” Maupin said. “So they’re gonna earn more money than anyone in their family did, they’re not going to be involved in the justice system and it’s gonna improve our community as a whole for everyone.”
A group called the Corporation for National and Community Service ranked Nevada 49th out of 50 states in volunteering and civic engagement two years ago.