On January 18th, BCYMP had the privilege of hosting a Brookings Chamber Mixer in the wonderful upstairs space donated by MetaBank and we had a great turn out! Not only did we have a chance to chat with the many individuals in attendance, volunteers and donors were honored during the event. BCYMP’s very own Kathy Miller was named January’s Volunteer of the Month by the Helpline Center. We are so lucky to work with someone as dedicated as Kathy and it was wonderful to see her hard work recognized. We were also honored that Orv Smidt, one of BCYMP’s founders, was in attendance.
The Brookings Empowerment Project, our “office neighbor”, also presented Tim Peters, the President of MetaBank Brookings, with their Donor of the Year Award. We are so grateful for the space MetaBank donates to us and our other nonprofit neighbors, so we were so excited to see them recognized, especially since MetaBank CEO, J. Tyler Haahr, was also present. BCYMP could not function without our amazing volunteers and donors.
After awards were presented, Mayor Keith W. Corbett officially declared January as Mentoring Month in Brookings. Mentoring Month has been a great way for BCYMP to educate the community about mentoring and recruit new mentors, so it is exciting that Mayor Corbett was present to make it official. You can read the full proclamation below.
MAYORAL PROCLAMATION
CITY OF BROOKINGS, SOUTH DAKOTA
WHEREAS: In 2002, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership created National Mentoring Month; and
WHEREAS: The goals of National Mentoring Month are to raise awareness of mentoring, recruit individuals to mentor, and encourage organizations to engage and integrate quality mentoring into their efforts; and
WHEREAS: A mentor is a caring, consistent presence who devotes time to a young person to help that young person discover personal strength and achieve their potential through a structured and trusting relationship; and
WHEREAS: Youth development experts agree that mentoring is critical to the social, emotional and cognitive development of youth, helping them navigate the path to adulthood more successfully; and
WHEREAS: The Brookings County Youth Mentoring Program recruits, trains, certifies and supports volunteers for one-on-one, community-based mentoring of K-12 students in our schools;
WHEREAS: All of the above listed benefits serve to lead youth towards healthy and productive lives, links youth to increased opportunities, encourages educational achievement, while also strengthening the fiber of our communities.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that I, Keith Corbett, Mayor of the City of Brookings, do hereby proclaim January 2018 as:
NATIONAL MENTORING MONTH
And call upon public officials, educators, business and community leaders, and encourage all citizens of Brookings to observe this month with appropriate ceremonies, activities and programs in order to:
1. Recognize and thank the men and women, serving as mentors, volunteers and staff at the Brookings County Youth Mentoring Program, for helping our young people find inner strength and reach their full potential; and
2. Promote the sustainment of the Brookings County Youth Mentoring Program to equip young people with the tools needed for a brighter future.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have placed the Seal of the City of Brookings, State of South Dakota, this eighteenth day of January, 2018.
Keith Corbett, Mayor