As the President and CEO of The Urban League of Pittsburgh, Esther Bush is one busy lady. And with a schedule jam-packed from dawn until dark, she makes it her mission to avoid being late. But there’s one date on her calendar she’d never miss. Her 45 minutes on Wednesdays with Naomi.

“I wouldn’t miss our session for the world,” Esther says of her year-long commitment to Be a 6th Grade Mentor. “And it just so happens to be the highlight of my week. I probably get just as much out of it as Naomi does.”

This mentor/student duo is one of more than 200 pairs who met during the 2009-2010 school year and set the precedent for the region’s largest mentoring initiative.

Designed to pair caring adults with 6th graders in the Pittsburgh Public Schools, the effort gives kids a chance to learn about careers, education and the whole world ahead of them.

“Until I met my mentor,” one local 6th grader admitted, “I didn’t know what accounting was. I always liked math and learned that payroll is a pretty important part of any company. Everybody wants to get paid.”

With a fresh new crop of 6th graders starting school in the fall, the second year of recruitment is now underway. Please join us or pass along this story to a friend or family member you think would be a great mentor.

Thanks to your generosity, United Way’s Impact Fund and effective programs, we’re making an impact. Let’s keep the work going.


Learn more or sign up for info at bea6thgradementor.org.

Learn more about the Community Initiative, Motivating Kids to Succeed in School here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TdAz8SLgHw