Guadalupe Center is encouraging business and community leaders, as well as retirees, to consider mentoring teens in the nonprofit’s college-preparatory Tutor Corps Program.
Each year, Guadalupe Center accepts 25 to 30 talented students into Tutor Corps, pairing them with mentors who offer advice, support and a listening ear. Mentors come from a variety of professional, educational and socioeconomic backgrounds. Guadalupe Center’s network has grown to include mentors from Naples, Marco Island, Golden Gate, Immokalee, Bonita Springs and other communities.
The time commitment for mentors varies based on mentor and mentee schedules. Required activities include a dinner with mentors, mentees and parents, a cultural event and a picnic. Face-to-face communication is encouraged, but many mentors rely on text, telephone and email to maintain dialogue.
Tutor Corps is a college preparatory program that provides Immokalee High School students with mentors, academic guidance, scholarship assistance, financial literacy and wages for tutoring children in Guadalupe Center’s educational programs. Many Tutor Corps students are the first in their families to pursue a college education and their parents often work in the agriculture, food service, construction and hospitality industries.
“Although our educational team provides advice and guidance, Tutor Corps students truly appreciate the insight of their mentors,” said Guadalupe Center President Dawn Montecalvo. “They develop such strong bonds that many students continue relying on the relationship with their mentors as they navigate the demands of college and start their professional careers.”
For more information on mentoring, please visit GuadalupeCenter.org/get-involved/volunteer or contact Haley Thalheimer at 239-657-7120.
About Guadalupe Center
Guadalupe Center is a purpose-driven nonprofit organization with proven success in creating endless possibilities for the students of Immokalee through education, as well as fostering personal and academic success that leads to economic independence. Established in 1984, Guadalupe Center is a premier, education-focused organization that delivers outstanding results: 95% of students in the nationally accredited Early Childhood Education Program meet or exceed kindergarten readiness standards; 100% of students in the After-school Tutoring & Summer Enrichment Program demonstrate significant gains in reading and math; and 100% of seniors in the college-preparatory Tutor Corps Program graduate from high school and are accepted into college, with more than 94% ultimately earning a college degree. With a mission to break the cycle of poverty through education, Guadalupe Center serves more than 1,750 students annually and is generously supported by private donors, philanthropic organizations and community partners. For more information, please visit GuadalupeCenter.org or call 239-657-7711.
