Mentors needed for college-bound students

RED BANK — Boys & Girls Clubs of Monmouth County (BGCM) and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Monmouth County (BBBSMC) are partnering on a new initiative to expand the College Bound Program for high school seniors.

The nonprofits are seeking adult volunteers to support and mentor students in Red Bank and Asbury Park so they can successfully prepare for their college career and future. This program will be ready for students by the fall 2010 school year.

College Bound is an educational leadership program developed and designed to support high school students ages 14-18 who are active members of BGCM, through the college preparation and application process, according to a press release from the Boys & Girls Clubs.

Participants benefit from academic advising, SAT test preparation, tips for improving study skills, financial aid and scholarship information and college tours. Unique to most college preparatory programs, College Bound pairs each student, one-on-one, with an adult mentor.

Mentors must be over 21, live in Monmouth County and have a valid driver’s license.

“By offering College Bound students emotional guidance and support from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Monmouth County, along with the academic assistance offered by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Monmouth County, these young adults will have a fair chance at succeeding and graduating [from] college,” Kelli Very, development director of Boys & Girls Clubs of Monmouth County, said in the press release.

If you would like to become a mentor to a child in your community, contact BBBSMC at 732-544-2224 or www.bbbsmonmouth. org, or BGCM at 732-530- 0065 or www.BGCMonmouth.org.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Monmouth County provides children ages 6-17 with safe havens where they can participate in personal enrichment programs designed to instill a sense of confidence, usefulness, belonging and influence. Big Brothers Big Sisters programs offer children guidance and friendship, role modeling, and fill a void for children who are critically in need of stable and supportive bonds with caring adults.