Your Time...Their Future
A mentor is defined as a “wise and trusted advisor,” someone who nurtures and guides a younger protégée, or “mentee,” in the pursuit of their goals. All of us have had mentors—an aunt, a teacher, a coach, a pastor who inspired us to achieve while helping us avoid negative influences and barriers. Behind every successful adult is a mentor who showed the way.
The BEARS Mentoring Program is a partnership of the Maple Valley Communities That Care Coalition, the Tahoma School District, and the Greater Maple Valley Community Center, and is funded in part by grants from United Way and the City of Maple Valley.
How does BEARS provide mentoring?
BEARS Mentoring Program recruits adult volunteers from the community to serve as one-to-one mentors with youth from two local middle schools - Cedar River and Tahoma. Matches meet weekly for a minimum of one year and alternate between school sites, where mentors assist with academic and educational activities, and the Maple Valley Community Youth Center, where they can explore recreational and youth development activities. All BEARS matches have an opportunity to go on additional group outings periodically.
Volunteer
To learn more about the BEARS Mentoring Program, to volunteer your time, or provide financial or in-kind contributions to the program, please check out our FAQ (pdf, 42KB) and BEARS Brochure (pdf, 229KB) and contact us at (206) 850-6625 or email Kimberly Walker. BEARS - Building & Empowering youth to Achieve Resilience & Success. Find out how you can help bring the magic of mentoring to youth in the Greater Maple Valley Area!