Children Uniting Nations Leads Collaborative Launch of National Mentoring Month

Children Uniting Nations Recruits Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater LA, Los Angeles Cares Mentoring Movement, Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters and Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters To Initiate City Wide Mentor Movement

LOS ANGELES, -- Children Uniting Nations, one of the premier non-profit institutions working with foster and at-risk youth, was recently named the lead agency for National Mentoring Month in Los Angeles. National Mentoring Month (NMM) is an annual, concentrated burst of national and local media activity combined with White House, Congressional involvement and extensive community outreach. National Mentoring Month serves as a vehicle for institutionalizing our nation's commitment to long-term mentoring.

Children Uniting Nations has partnered with four leading non-profits, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater LA, Los Angeles Cares Mentoring Movement, Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters and Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters whom have accepted the responsibility for the future of our children and are coming together with the goals of combining resources to raise awareness, recruit mentors and increase fundraising. The collaboration will deliver the message that our communities need mentors from every faith and socioeconomic background. Media, corporations and individuals need to come together to assist in reaching the national recruiting goals.

National Mentoring Month activities will span throughout the entire month of January. NMM will launch a specific "Multi Faith Movement" in collaboration with churches and synagogues across Los Angeles from January 15th- 17th by passing out literature, showcasing videos, signing up potential mentors (within each respective religious guidelines) throughout Los Angeles. Children Uniting Nations and partners will enlist radio stations, broadcast and print media to announce the movement and run public service announcements with Colin Powell expressing the importance of mentoring. A press conference will be held January 6th at City Hall (South Lawn) from 9:30 AM to 10:00 AM, to further discuss National Mentoring Month with support of celebrities and elected officials.

Children Uniting Nations founder, Daphna Ziman, commented on the collaboration, "I am elated for such a commitment of solidarity to our foster and at-risk youth with our partner organizations that are leading by example through working together with respect and a mutual understanding that through mentoring, education, community partnerships, and civic engagement, we can help our most needy children and ensure a brighter future for everyone."

National Mentoring Month celebrates the positive effect mentoring has on young lives. Its goals are to:

• Raise awareness of mentoring in its various forms.
• Recruit individuals to mentor, especially in programs that have waiting lists of young people.
• Promote the rapid growth of mentoring by recruiting organizations to engage their constituents in mentoring.

Since its launch in 2002, NMM has enjoyed the strong support of the U.S. President and Congress. Additional prominent individuals who have participated in the "NMM Campaign" include: former President Bill Clinton, Senator John McCain, General Colin L. Powell , Clint Eastwood, Maya Angelou, Susan L. Taylor, Quincy Jones, Cal Ripken, Jr., Bill Russell and Usher.

Editor notes: Children Uniting Nations (CUN) is a proactive organization created to bring attention to the plight of at-risk and foster youth. Their goal is to reach as many children in out-of-home care by offering role-model support, guidance, a sense of community and promote the importance of an education. CUN provides foster children with a voice...a MENTOR, to encourage and motivate them to overcome their challenges so that they may gain academic and social skills, values, and confidence to achieve their potential. Community support and mental health program model services provided by Children Uniting Nations has resulted programs across Los Angeles County and nationally.

Children Uniting Nations supports the services that foster youth receive in Los Angeles County by providing: Advocacy for foster youth working within government entities such as the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, the State of California, and the Federal Government. Systematic Change through legislation that demands the attention by politicians and change makers, therefore bringing change to the way that foster youth are provided services. For more information, visit www.childrenunitingnations.org or call (323) 944-0500

Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters of Los Angeles (JBBBS) Since 1915, Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters of Los Angeles (JBBBS), the home of Camp Max Straus, has enriched the lives of thousands of children from throughout the greater Los Angeles area by providing excellence in mentoring. JBBBS offers innovative programs and services that facilitate lasting mentoring relationships that provide measurable positive impacts and help children to reach their true potential. For more information call 323-761-8675 or www.jbbbsla.org.

Los Angeles CARES Mentoring Movement is an affiliate of the National CARES Mentoring Movement. Our purpose is to end the state of emergency in Black America by connecting youth and caring adults to mentoring networks and opportunities in Los Angeles County. Our goal is to fill the pipelines of the many organizations that are serving disproportionate numbers of Black children who are desperately waiting for mentors. We are not a mentoring organization. We are a resource and partner to mentors and mentoring organization. For more information, visit www.lacmm.org or call (818) 833-0363

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles: For 55 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles has assisted boys and girls in achieving their highest potential as they grow to become confident, competent and caring individuals through professionally supported one-to-one relationships with caring men and women. Their work is as elementary as putting an adult friend in a child's life, and as essential as putting hope into a child's future. Mentoring works -- one young person at a time. For more information, call 213-481-1148 or visit www.BBBSLA.org.

Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters (CBBBS): For nearly 80 years, Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters (CBBBS) has matched youth between the ages of 7 and 18 with volunteer adults who serve as role models, friends, and mentors. Founded in 1925, CBBBS has developed a broad spectrum of programs and services over the years that focus on the needs of these children, who are living in mostly single-parent families due to divorce, separation, or death. Deaf/hard of hearing programs, school and site based programs, and group mentoring programs are just some of the variety of services. For more information, visit www.catholicbigbrothers.org or call (213) 251-9800.

National Mentoring Month: Created by the Harvard School of Public Health and MENTOR, National Mentoring Month (NMM) is marking its ninth year in 2010. By focusing national attention on the need for mentors, as well as how each of us -- individuals, businesses, government agencies, schools, faith communities and non-profits -- can work together to increase the number of mentors, we assure brighter futures for our young people.

Please visit our website for more information on National Mentoring Month, www.childrenunitingnations.org

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SOURCE Children Uniting Nations