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Mentoring to the Max!

Mentoring Works
Share your talents and gifts with a young person and make a difference in our community, both now and in the future.

Mayor Dewey Bartlett's goal for the Mentoring to the Max program is to pair positive adult role models with youth to enhance their lives and education.

Dedicated Mentoring Partners - The Tulsa County Mentoring Coalition
On October 8, 2010, Mayor Dewey Bartlett and his wife, Victoria Bartlett convened a Mentoring Partners Roundtable. From that meeting we learned that all of our mentoring organizations have the same goals - to increase both the supply of mentors and the breadth of youth served. This meeting served as the catalyst for moving our mentoring efforts forward.

Through the collaborative efforts of the Mentoring Partners, a document entitled, "Making the Case for a Tulsa County Mentoring Coalition" was finalized and adopted by the group on December 30, 2010. Mayor Dewey Bartlett and Mentoring to the Max spokesperson, Victoria Bartlett made this white paper available to the public on January 6, 2011 and announced the newly formed Tulsa County Mentoring Coalition in a news conference at Hamilton Middle School.

The Tulsa County Mentoring Coalition will help utilize the expertise, skills and passion of mentoring organizations across the county to help our children receive the attention and support they deserve from caring adults in their lives. This first-of-its-kind coalition would not have been possible without a series of events, beginning with the 2006 "Building a Safer Tulsa" Summit, which revealed a tremendous need for mentors in schools and communities to help keep youth off the streets and from joining gangs.

Key Partners and Supporters of the Tulsa County Mentoring Coalition

Tulsa County Mentoring Coalition Joined Mayor Bartlett in the 2012 Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Parade
On January 16, 2012, 21 members of the Tulsa County Mentoring Coalition joined Mayor Dewey Bartlett to walk in the MLK Commemorative Parade. Agencies and programs represented in this walking group included: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma, Community Service Council, the Man to Man Project, Tulsa Area Community Schools Initiative, and AmeriCorps volunteers. As a result of their visibility in the parade, we have gained some new mentors for middle-school youth.

Mentoring to the Max Has Impacted Lives Since 2007
To date, Mentoring to the Max has reached more than 700 elementary students in 18 community schools through out-of-school time in Tulsa Public and Union Public Schools. The community schools have created programs in enrichment that are raising test scores and offer art, reading, self-esteem, computers, workforce development, citizenship, drama, dance, chess club, math, science and community service.

Mentoring to the Max with Music
Another mentoring initiative called "Mentoring to the Max with Music," is being spearheaded  by Dr. Barry Epperley, artistic director and conductor for TCC's Signature Symphony. In March 2009, Dr. Epperley began a music program at Eugene Field Elementary, which has provided 18 brand-new instruments for 5th graders.

Since August 24, 2010, 5th graders at Eugene Field have been learning how to play their stringed instruments on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:30 to 8:15 a.m.

Watch Barry Epperley and Victoria Bartlett share Mentoring with Music on Channel 6.

If you have experience playing a cello, viola, violin or bass instrument, share your knowledge with some great kids who are eager to learn how to play. Please call 2-1-1 today and tell them you want to sign up to be a music mentor!

Young People Are Our Greatest Resource
Mentoring has been proven to reduce crime, help kids miss fewer days of school and improve their grades.

It has the power to help children reach their fullest potential and prepares them to be successful in life.

Anyone can be a mentor: a retiree, a firefighter or police officer, a college student or anyone who has a passion to make a difference in our community.

Share your love of reading, music, art, sports, or whatever inspires you. Your talents can help bring out the best in a child!

It only takes one or two hours a week of mentoring to change a child's life forever.



Business Leaders Challenged to Get Mentoring
Mayor Dewey Bartlett and Victoria Bartlett met with CEO's and Tulsa area business leaders during a recent event hosted by the Tulsa Metro Chamber.

The Bartletts encouraged the business community to adopt a Tulsa area school and get involved in children's lives.

20 Tulsa Area Community Schools (Elementary):

You Can Make a Difference
Mentoring can take place in one of our local schools or during out-of-school time through one of more than 40 mentoring programs in the city. Kids want and need caring adults involved in their lives to encourage them and help them be successful.

How can you become a mentor? It's easy. Call 2-1-1 today and be sure to mention the age range of a child you'd like to mentor and the times you are available. You will be matched with a child and on your way to changing a life!

For more information about mentoring, contact: plistar@cityoftulsa.org