State Street Foundation Awards $20,000 to SPEF

The Stamford Public Education Foundation (SPEF) announced it has received a $20,000 grant from State Street Foundation, Inc., which will help support the non-profit agency’s Stamford Mentoring Program. This program served 860 students in grades 3 – 12 during the 2017-18 school year; this was made possible with the support of over 400 caring volunteers. This announcement is being made as part of SPEF’s outreach for volunteers during Mentor Appreciation Month. Caring adults are needed to work with middle and high schools students now through June.

Research shows that mentors play a powerful role in providing young people with the tools to strive and thrive, to attend and engage in school, and to reduce or avoid risky behavior like drug use. In turn, these young people are:

55% more likely to be enrolled in college

81% more likely to report participating regularly in sports or extracurricular activities

78% more likely to volunteer regularly in their communities.

More than twice as likely to say they held a leadership position in a club or sports team. Yet, the same research shows that one in three young people in our country will grow up without a mentor. SPEF’s Stamford Mentoring Program is delivered in 17 schools within the Stamford Public Schools’ district. At the elementary school level, students learn civic responsibility through community service and reflection. At the middle and high school levels, students are paired with college, community, and corporate mentors to set goals, improve academic standing, become engaged in school activities and prepare for their future.

Matthew Quinones, Chief Executive Officer at SPEF said, “The Stamford Public Education
Foundation recognizes the impact that mentoring has on youth. Thanks to the generosity of
community partners like the State Street Foundation, for nearly a decade we have been funding and operating school-based programs that connect college, community and corporate volunteers with Stamford Public School students. State Street Foundation invests nonprofits that provide
measurable results in education, job-readiness, and college success, and we are very appreciative it has selected SPEF to be a recipient of its generosity. ”

January is National Mentoring Month, the annual campaign aimed at expanding quality mentoring opportunities to connect more of our community’s young people with caring adults. This month SPEF is focused on ensuring that it is able to match students in need of a caring mentor with a volunteer from our community. To learn how you can volunteer to become mentor, visit https://spefct.org/get-involve... or call 203-965-7733.