Become a Mentor

Mentoring Can Change Lives

You can change the life of a child in your area by becoming a mentor today.

One of the most serious problems facing Oregon is the growing high school dropout rate and mentoring is a proven strategy to keep kids in school longer and help them succeed as adults.

Mentoring works! 98% of kids with mentors stay in school and out of gangs.

In Oregon, 165,000 youth need mentors. United Way and Oregon Mentors are partnering to recruit you to fill that gap.

You can help. You can be a mentor.

Mentoring is Easy!

Can you laugh, listen and be consistent? Then YOU can become a mentor!

There's a mentoring opportunity that is right for everyone! Whether it's working with young kids or teens, groups or one-on-one, focused on academics or just hanging out with your mentee, there are programs that need adult volunteers to help kids succeed. You can invest as little as one hour per week to change a child's life. Sign up now.

Harold and Sam's Story

United Way partners with Oregon Mentors to recruit new mentors for kids like Sam, who lives with his grandma and has a challenging life at home. Sam’s father is around but not very active at all in his son's life. But he has a mentor, Harold, through the Big Brothers Big Sisters Sports Buddies program. Harold has children of his own but wants to be involved in helping other African American youth.

He and Sam, who is 13, have been together for over a year now and both love basketball and being active. They recently attended a special basketball clinic put on by the Blazers at their gym in Tualatin. Harold says when they go out, he's giving his mentee a break from of the stresses he feels and keeping him busy with something positive instead of negative.