CEP Youth Leadership recognizes La Grange area mentors
By Jane Michaels jmichaels@pioneerlocal.com January 30, 2012 12:26PM
Corey Urbasihch of La Grange gets ready to co-host the CEP Mentor Appreciation Event as Alysa Lewandowski puts on his fake mustache. | Steve Johnston~for Sun-Times Media
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Updated: March 3, 2012 8:05AM
La Grange area volunteers developing special bonds as mentors to west suburban teens were recognize at a dinner Friday sponsored by CEP Youth Leadership at the First Methodist Church of La Grange.
The evening featured skits and musical numbers by the Watch My Feet performance group of area high school students trained through CEP Youth Leadership, a La Grange-based nonprofit agency serving west suburban teens.
“This is a night where mentees really thank their mentors for all they do,” said Alysa Lewandowski, who coordinates the program matching adult volunteers with students in grade school, junior high and high school.
The evening with a fiesta theme helped 13 students pay tribute to their mentors. Another six of the 10 children on a waiting list attended the program in anticipation of being matched with a mentor in the future.
A certificate awarded to one of the mentors read, “My mentor is my amigo because she is always there for me.” Another certificate read, “My favorite thing about my mentor is everything.”
Lewandowski said area teachers, principals and social workers refer students to the program to be matched with mentors. The average match lasts for 20 months, though some pairs have continued meeting three to five years.
“We have amazing mentors and volunteers who also take on the cost of outings and meals,” she said. “Normally, they meet around dinner time.”
Some children referred to the program are from single-parent homes or from families with special needs. They benefit from a mentor’s additional support and attention in a number of ways, Lewandowski said.
Children with mentors are 46 percent less likely to begin using illegal drugs, 53 percent less likely to skip school, 27 percent less likely to begin drinking alcohol, and 33 percent less likely to engage in school violence, according to studies reviewed by CEP.
To volunteer, contact Lewandowski at alysal@cep4youth.org or call (708) 579-5898. More information is at www.cep4youth.org.
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