- State Board of Education Chair T. Willard Fair Speaks -
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., April 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Florida
Mentoring Partnership announced today the top five mentors statewide in the
annual Mentors of Excellence Awards. The announcement was made at the
annual Florida Association of Partners in Education conference in St.
Petersburg. T. Willard Fair, chairman of the State Board of Education for
Florida, served as the keynote speaker. The Florida Mentoring Partnership,
an alliance of mentoring organizations across Florida, is managed by
Volunteer Florida Foundation.
"Every single day in my community I see the profound effect that a wise
and caring adult can have on a developing child. It doesn't just make a
difference -- it can change the child's whole world," said Fair. "Youth
involved in mentorship programs demonstrate improvements in academic
performance and are less likely to be involved with gangs, violence, teen
pregnancy, alcohol and drugs. That's why mentoring is so important. The
children are exposed to adults of good mind and good character and they
respond like seedlings to sunshine and water. That's what the Florida
Mentoring Partnership Program means to them -- and to me."
Also speaking at the event: Steve Uhlfelder, chair of the Florida
Mentoring Partnership; Liza McFadden, president of Volunteer Florida
Foundation; and Karine Apollon, General Manager of Literacy Initiatives for
Scholstic Inc, signature sponsor of the event. Carnival Cruise Lines,
sponsor of the awards, gave each of the following winners a free cruise
with luxury accommodations to the destination of their choice. Awards are
given annually to exemplary mentors in five categories.
Award Winners:
Mike Anderson, Mayor of Fort Walton Beach, government mentoring category
Represented at the awards by his son Samuel Anderson, Anderson has
served as a mentor for the past decade, for the last three years at
Niceville High School, in the Take Stock In Children program. As the Mayor,
in addition to mentoring, he continues to find ways to recognize the
achievements of young people; as well as develop ways to get them actively
involved in their community.
Orrain Lee, Analyst for Citrix Systems Inc. in Ft. Lauderdale,
corporate category
Lee has served as mentor for five years in the Take Stock program at
Blanche Ely High and Northeast High. She has helped her mentees develop
leadership skills, additional critical thinking skills, and is constantly
striving to find new ways to stimulate and maintain a positive relationship
with the students. Lee is dedicated to her mentees, never missing a week in
meeting with them, understanding the importance of consistency in their
lives.
Don O'Neal, retired aerospace engineer, faith- or community-based
category
O'Neal mentors in the Take Stock in Children program through the Bay
Education Foundation. Because he is an able math tutor as well as an
exemplary mentor, he also provides one-to-one tutoring to any of the 90
Take Stock scholars who need his help. As well, he is a math tutor at A.D.
Harris High School, a Grade F school for at-risk students, and funds a
scholarship each year for the county's highest-achieving math student.
Kelley Kostamo, Alachua County Public Schools, school district
coordinator category
Kostamo is the Business Partnership Specialist for Alachua County
Public Schools. Although much of her time is invested in developing a large
business partnership network for the schools, she also voluntarily
coordinates four outstanding mentoring programs. Kostamo recruits, trains
and places more than 1,000 local college students in three different
mentoring programs to help struggling children. She has also taken the
responsibility of organizing the Teen Trendsetter Reading Mentors program
for the county.
Dorothy "Dot" Binger, Guadian ad Litem, Leon County, Star Award
In the newest category, the Star Award, this year for exemplary service
in foster care, Binger was chosen for her work in the Guardian ad Litem
program spanning 17 years, and representing more than 50 children.
Especially noteworthy for this senior citizen was her work in advocating
tirelessly for six children, whose mother suffers from mental health
problems and whose parental rights had to be terminated. Through the courts
Binger successfully re-united them in one foster home.
The Awards of Excellence each year are bestowed upon exemplary mentors,
nominated by their communities and judged by a panel of volunteers across
Florida through the Florida Mentoring Partnership. The Partnership was
formed in 1999 and includes mentoring organizations large and small,
individuals, and mentoring leaders from state and local governments and
businesses. The partnership is managed by nonprofit Volunteer Florida
Foundation, and is a proud member of the National Mentoring Partnership.
For more information, go to http://www.FLAMentoring.org.
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