FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

Contact: Mai-Anh Kapanke                                

Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota

612.370.9169 Direct

651.357.2823 Cell

mai-anhk@mentoringworks.org

Four Receive Special “Angel of Mentoring” Award

(Minneapolis-January 5, 2007) The Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota will honor four private, corporate, and individual recipients with the Fifth Annual Angel of Mentoring Awards. The honor, presented to individuals and organizations that embody the best in mentoring in Minnesota, will occur at the Timberwolves home game against the Detroit Pistons on Friday, January 19. The game will also serve as the Minnesota kickoff for National Mentoring Month, and special guest NBA legend Bill Russell will be on hand to present the awards at a special VIP reception before the game.

Angel awards are given out in four categories: Individual, Twin Cities-based Mentoring Organization, Greater Minnesota Mentoring Organization, and Workplace

·    Individual-John Elder, an Apple Valley-businessman who organized a 900-mile bike ride to raise awareness of and funds for mentoring.

·    Mentor Program-Kinship of Greater Minneapolis, a 52-year-old organization that has placed nearly 1,400 kids with caring adult mentors.

·    Greater Minnesota Program-St Olaf Volunteer Network, a Northfield-based group that encourages college students to participate in mentoring.

·    Workplace-General Mills, a corporation that has, among other long-term mentoring commitments, pioneered the use of e-mentoring to create a program to support students who are the first in their family to attend college.

Minnesota is a leader in the Mentoring Movement because of the innovative and quality work of many individuals, workplaces, and organizations. Angel of Mentoring award winners exemplify a commitment to ensuring more children have caring adult mentors in their lives, and exhibit creativity, tenacity, and an entrepreneurial spirit in engaging others. They go above and beyond the call of duty to guarantee that others succeed; look out for the broader interests of the mentoring community, and give back unselfishly for the greater good. Honorees also exhibit a concerted and sustained effort to provide quality mentoring experiences by adhering to programmatic standards that meet effective mentoring practices.

The Minnesota kickoff of National Mentoring Month provides an opportunity to recruit volunteer mentors for 350,000 Minnesota young people who are in need of a mentor and are at risk of not achieving their full potential. The program is sponsored by General Electric, the University of Minnesota, IWCO Direct, the Pioneer Press, General Mills, Ceridian, Emerson, BriteMedia, Northwest Airlines, and the Chambers Hotel.

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The Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota is the driving force in the mentoring movement.  Our efforts translate into more caring adults mentoring a generation of children and youth at every level of our community.  Celebrating 10 years of growing the mentoring movement. Visit www.mentoringworks.org for more information.