On January 25, millions of Americans, young and old, will reach out to thank or honor those individuals who encouraged and guided them, and who had a lasting impact on their lives as part of Thank Your Mentor Day™.  

Thank Your Mentor Day™ is the centerpiece of National Mentoring Month, a month dedicated for our state and nation to devote its attention to recruiting volunteer mentors for the 450,000 Minnesota young people, 17 million nationwide, who are at risk of not achieving their full potential.  The Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota, the driving force in Minnesota’s mentoring movement, asks each of us “Who Mentored You?  Thank them…and pass it on!”

Contact your mentor by email, telephone, card or letter to directly express your appreciation. Or honor your mentor by sharing with others the lessons and insights that your mentor taught you and to learn more about becoming a mentor yourself.

Mentors of Famous Individuals:

• Oprah Winfrey mentored by Mrs. Duncan (4^th grade teacher)
• Dr. Martin Luther King mentored by Dr. Benjamin E. Mays
• Senator John McCain mentored by William Ravenel (high school teacher/coach)
• Secretary of State Colin Powell mentored by his father Luther Powell
• Mitch Albom mentored by Morrie Schwartz (Tuesdays with Morrie)
• Senator Hilary Rodham Clinton mentored by Reverend Donald James

            Thank Your Mentor Day™ is the latest initiative of an ongoing national media campaign developed by the Harvard Mentoring Project.  National Mentoring Month is locally organized by the Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota and sponsored by 3M, Ceridian, and GE Commercial Finance Fleet Services with a media partnership with Next Media.