United Way of Clinton County, Iowa (UWCCI) has committed to provide funding Mentor Clinton County programs through 2021, as part of its Health & Wellness initiatives. Previously known as Big Brothers & Big Sisters, the Mentor Clinton County (MCC) programs work with at-risk children in the surrounding areas, providing one-to-one mentoring through adult and high school youth volunteers.
As a partner agency to United Way, MCC matches volunteers to mentor children who may be referred by teachers, family members, or service providers. Volunteers are screened carefully with background checks and monthly monitoring to insure children’s safety. The one-to-one matchings are known to create bonds that last several years and even beyond when the child graduates High School. After almost ten years as Executive Director of MCC, Peggy Sellnau says, “It’s really neat to see, for kids that don’t have a mentor within their lives, to be able to provide that. Almost everyone can think of someone who’s there for them. This provides an opportunity to be a mentor for someone else that doesn’t have one.”
The rural school programs at Northeast and Calamus/Wheatland use high school students as mentors, which gives them an opportunity to learn problem solving and time management while giving back to the community. Clinton Schools use adults for their lunch buddy and after school programs. There are always children on a waiting list for a mentor and they are always looking for more volunteers. To learn more about mentoring opportunities, call Mentor Clinton County at 563-243-4223.