Dear Friend of Mobius,

The evening news may not be very cheery these days but here at Mobius we're hearing plenty of joyful messages:

"I've been looking for a way to help children - thanks for showing me how!"  

"We are so happy to share the experience of mentors taking their mentees out to a real restaurant!"

"Your support has kept our mentoring program going.  Thanks for all you do for all of us."

Mentor recruitment is taking off; we recruited 18 new mentors last month, more than any January ever! We have more training, events and benefits scheduled for 2011 than ever before. The mentoring movement is gaining momentum!

How can you get involved?  Easy.  Become a mentor, sponsor a mentor event or benefit dinner at your workplace, get your business on the Mobius card, host a new mentor training or mentor mixer, or make a donation.  Help us create a culture of mentoring and support the young people in our community who need or want a mentor. It's a great way to balance what you hear on the evening news these days, and it will put a smile on your face.

Thanks!

Andrea L. Torello, Executive Director of Mobius 

Mentor Profile

Name: Jamie Valeich

Program: Spectrum

Town: Burlington 

Age of Mentee:   12

Referred by Mobius in:   

July 2010 

Has Been a Mentor Since:

November 2010

Favorite Activities: We love going to the free art workshops at Burlington City Arts.  It's fun to sit down for a few hours and be creative alongside other mentor pairs. We always learn something new, too!  

Favorite Thing About Mentoring: What I love most about mentoring is being able to expose Lanie to new activities, such as Mobius' sleigh rides event at Shelburne Farms this winter.  It's refreshing to do things that are out of the norm and explore new interests together. 

Amachi Grant

Amachi, a word of Nigerian origin, roughly translates as a reference to the hope and potential of a child.  For more than a year and a half, the Amachi Grant has helped support mentoring efforts to benefit children affected by incarceration for six Vermont mentoring programs through Mobius. In Chittenden County, the Amachi grant provides support for Everybody Wins!, the King Street Center, Spectrum, and M.O.V.E. (St. Michael's College).  In other regions of the state, the grant supports Mentor Connector in Rutland, and Watershed Mentoring in St. Albans.  

As we enter the second half of the grant, we are proud to share that Amachi has already helped support more than 500 matches locally. For more information about this initiative, please contact Lee Ann Donner, Mobius Grant Manager. 

Featured Mobius Card Sponsors

Throughout the year, Mobius partners with local businesses and organizations to offer discounted prices on activities for mentor pairs in Chittenden County. For more information about our 27 Mobius Card sponsors, please CLICK HERE. 

Petra Cliffs offers free climbing gear for mentors and mentees and free climbing for mentors.

Smuggler's Notch Ski Resort offers Bash Badge prices on lift passes for mentors and mentees.

   Spare Time allows mentor pairs to bowl at a discounted price: $2.75 per game and $3.25 per shoe rental.

For more information about the Mobius Card, please CLICK HERE.   

Turrell Fund Awards Grant to Mobius

Turrell Fund

A Foundation Serving Children

The Turrell Fund has awarded a $5000 grant to Mobius to support mentor recruiting.  A long-time Mobius donor, the Turrell Fund supports organizations that help youth in Vermont and New Jersey.  "The trustees at the Turrell Fund really recognize the importance of mentoring and we're just so grateful for their support," said Mike Glod, Director of Development at Mobius.    

Each year, Mobius recruits dozens of mentors for Vermont's children and refers them to 14 local mentoring programs. For more information about this grant, please contact Mike Glod.   

Save the Date! 

Join us in March! 

Click on the links to RSVP! 

Wednesday, March 9th (5:30-7:30 p.m.)

March Monthly Mentor Training 

Thursday, March 10th (5:30-7:30 p.m.)

Mentor Pair Community Science Night at ECHO/Leahy Science Center 

Wednesday, March 16th (5:00-10:00 p.m.)

Community Night at Bluebird Tavern