"Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It's not something you learn in school. But if you haven't learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven't learned anything." – Muhammad Ali

TOP>>Mentoring pairs pose during the Mentoring Marathon party in 2001. BOTTOM>>Two WPYC members strike a pose with Mento, the Mentoring Giraffe.

In 1999, WPYC noticed that there was an alarming number of younger students dropping out of school. In response to this, WPYC members decided that younger kids did not have enough positive role models in their life so they created the Mentoring Committee. The main focus of this committee is not only to provide positive high school aged role models but also to promote the value of education through mentoring. The Mentoring Committee works with Big Brothers/Big Sisters and other organizations to encourage teenagers to get involved with younger kids as mentors. Each fall, the Mentoring Committee plans “Big for a Day.” At this event, WPYC members are matched with a younger kid to experience first hand what mentoring is all about. In the spring, WPYC partners with various agencies for Mentoring Marathon, a month-long event that matches younger children with high school mentors. In previous years, as many as 160 matches have been made