Created in 2002 by the Harvard School of Public Health and MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership, National Mentoring Month focuses national attention on the need for mentors, as well as how each of us—individuals, businesses, government agencies, schools, faith communities and nonprofits—can work together to increase the number of mentors to assure brighter futures for our young people.

10 Things You Can Do This January

1. Become a mentor in your community.
2. Learn more about mentoring.
3. Partner with a mentoring organization.
4. Join “I Am a Mentor” Day.
5. Think about the mentors in your life and post a tribute to them online.
6. Read the latest research and find resources on mentoring.
7. Serve your community on MLK Day of Service by deciding to become a mentor.
8. Make a donation to a mentoring organization in your community.
9. Go to YouTube on Thank Your Mentor Day™ (January 26) and make the National Mentoring Month videos the most popular of the day.
10. Explore ways to help children succeed academically through mentoring.

For more information on National Mentoring Month visit: www.nationalmentoringmonth.org.

Field trips are not the staple they once were. With growing pressure on school budgets, many schools with largely at-risk student populations can no longer afford transportation fees to bring their students to places like the History Center. M.H. West & Co., Inc. has stepped forward to fund transportation costs for 40 classes over the next two years. “This locally based management consulting company knows the Richmond area school system well and understands the importance of broad educational experiences for all school children.”

Generous support from corporations like Target, Wachovia, MWV, and VCU Health Systems, has allowed the History Center to offer free education programs to Richmond Public Schools. Forgoing the student fee allows schools the flexibility to send more students on field trips.

Thanks to the generosity of these members of our corporate community, students from around the area will continue to visit the History Center to learn firsthand about Richmond history. Just as they have been doing for the past 75 years.

The Clovis Unified School District (CA) first considered creating a full-time online school about four years ago. Clovis Unified is known as a high-performing district, but it was losing 200 to 400 students a year. In a district with a total enrollment of nearly 38,000, those numbers don’t seem so bad, but officials realized only about half of those students were dropouts; the rest were opt-outs.

“What we saw in those statistics was that our students have real alternatives to what our traditional schools have to offer,” says Rob Darrow, principal of the district’s two-year-old virtual charter school. “Most K-12 school districts know that they’re losing kids who are going to other programs to get their needs met, and they know that they’re going to have to offer some kind of online program to meet those needs if they’re going to survive.”

Read the entire article.

In partnership with WCVE, The Community Ideas Stations, LMR invites you to join us for the kick off of Start the Conversation.

As our population ages, the region is facing new challenges to ensure our community is prepared. Regional leaders working on these solutions will present the current realities, offer a picture of the future and invite you to get engaged with these efforts.

Panelists:

Marilyn H. West, LQ ’95, – M.H. West & Co., Inc.

John Martin – SIR Research

Sarah Link – AgeWave & United Way

Thelma Bland – Senior Connections

Moderated by Gene Lepley

Thursday, June 2, 2011

WCVE Studios, 23  Sesame Street

Doors open at 3:30 pm / Taping at 4:00 pm

FREE EVENT! Click Here to RSVP

Program Sponsors

This series is made possible by a grant from The Greater Richmond Chamber Foundation and Troutman Sanders, LLC

Waynesburg University held its annual commencement exercises honoring more than 700 undergraduate and graduate students Sunday, May 15.

Rob McCord, Pennsylvania State Treasurer, delivered the commencement address and urged students to “remind themselves every day that what matters most cannot be quantified.”

“Faith, loyalty, commitment and love cannot be quantified,” he said.

M. H. West & Co., Inc. CEO, Marilyn H. West who also serves as a Trustee at Waynesburg University, spoke with Rob McCord about Steven Covey’s works on servant leadership.  She was delighted that pieces of that conversation made it into his speech as he talked about the The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

Both Rob McCord and Pittsburgh Steelers punter, Daniel Sepulveda were awarded honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degrees during the commencement.

English professor Terry Meyers believes the college – at Benjamin Franklin’s urging – was instrumental in opening the Williamsburg Bray School in 1760 to educate both free and enslaved blacks.

The find would be remarkable not only for its historical significance, but for its location in the political and ideological epicenter of slavery. The college itself was funded by taxes on tobacco harvested by slaves. The college, its faculty and even some students owned slaves, and slave labor built core campus buildings, maintained the grounds and fed the residents.

It also runs counter to later sentiments in Virginia and other Southern states, which explicitly forbade teaching slaves to read or write. An 1819 Virginia law made doing so punishable by 20 lashes.

Read the entire article.

The overall goal of the course is to aid students in becoming competitive in today’s dynamic environment by providing the necessary skills and resources they will need to enter the corporate arena and develop their career. All three WEST associates enjoyed the class and agreed that it represents an excellent opportunity for business students to get some real world advice in a classroom environment.

Patricia Roberts Harris is one of those quiet warriors whose life stands as a testament to excellence, tenacity, and commitment to change.

She was born on May 31, 1924, the daughter of Hildren and Bert Roberts, in Mattoon, Illinois. A product of Illinois public schools, Harris attended Howard University in Washington, D.C., on scholarship and graduated summa cum laude in 1945. From early in her life as a brilliant scholar at Howard, she went on to become the first African American woman to serve as a United States ambassador and later the first African American woman to serve as a Cabinet Secretary. Harris was a powerful influence in American politics and a major figure during the Civil Rights Movement.

Read the entire article.

Congressman Bobby Scott gave the keynote speech after being introduced by John Grisham. During his speech he emphasized the importance of placing the best teachers in the most challenging situations where they are needed the most. He also noted that the current dropout rate is placing the United States at a disadvantage in the global marketplace, since well-educated workers are required to compete.

The evening’s events also included the film Pushed, a student-produced documentary that highlighted the effects of this crisis in our nation’s schools as seen through the eyes of students, parents and teachers in a Connecticut school division. The film was followed by a panel discussion by education experts: Professor Dewey Cornell,  Charlottesville Superintendent Dr. Rosa S. Atkins, JustChildren’s Director Angela Ciolfi and special guest panelist, Congressman Bobby Scott.

Speaking about the proclamation and the Advisory Board, Governor McDonnell noted, “As a prosecutor, legislator, and Attorney General, I witnessed first-hand the impact that domestic violence has on its victims, their families, and our communities.  That is why I made a campaign promise to create the Domestic Violence Prevention and Response Advisory Board to produce positive recommendations and engage in an ongoing dialogue in an effort to reduce domestic violence crimes in Virginia.  Recognizing October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month will also help draw attention to this important issue.  I will continue to do everything I can to ensure that Virginians remain safe and secure in their homes and neighborhoods.”