Kiwanis Club donates $500 to Mentors 4 Kids

Harrisburg Kiwanis Club recently donated $500 to Mentors 4 Kids.

Vickey Taake, executive director of Mentors 4 Kids, recently served as a guest speaker at a weekly Kiwanis Club meeting.

Mentors 4 Kids was founded in 2009. The office, located in the Bonan Business Center, has two employees, Taake and a case manager. Taake's area encompasses six counties, one of which is Saline County.

Currently, 25 to 30 child/mentor matches are active in Saline County with a waiting list of 10 kids. Anyone can refer a child, but most referrals come from the schools. Volunteer mentors are matched with kids according to interests and need.

Mentors are asked to commit to the program for at least one year and make contact with their mentees for six hours per month. Taake reported that data has shown that more than 50 percent of kids in the program show improvement in family, school and peer relationships.

As with many other volunteer organizations, the program is in need of volunteers, especially male mentors.

To become a volunteer mentor, call (618) 252-1012.