Stand UP Cass County celebrates National Mentoring Month
Last Updated on January 10, 2026 by Cass County Communication Network
Logansport, Indiana – January is National Mentoring Month, and this year, Stand UP Cass County is celebrating the annual campaign aimed at expanding quality mentoring opportunities by connecting more of our community’s young people with caring adults by continuing efforts in Cass County. Efforts at Drop In events, presentations, action team meetings, etc. will continue to have a focus on the youth of Cass County. Actively promoting and accepting volunteers for local efforts to create a community who mentor its youth on a daily basis, in ordinary and authentic interactions.
“You can “mentor” youth in common every day interactions, even just speaking to a young person with respect, and listening to them can count as mentoring, we plan to highlight some ways to organically interact with the youth of Cass County, and in turn being a mentor” says Nikki Malott.
Research shows that mentors play a powerful role in providing young people with the tools to make positive choices, attend and engage in school, and reduce or avoid negative behaviors. 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 more than one in three young people in our country will grow
up without a mentor.
National Mentoring Month is the time of year where engagement from community members interested in becoming a mentor is highest. This year, with the support of the mentoring community, we are encouraging the public to go beyond just digital engagement and become involved in real life. Mentoring relationships are at their best when connections are made between a caring adult and a young person who knows that someone is there to help guide them through life choices.
In our community, people can participate in events monthly at Logansport Skate World and Fun Center, Black Dog Coffee, and Mary Max Cinemas. There are also a variety of Action Teams who focus its goals on the youth of Cass County.
National Mentoring Month is led by MENTOR, the national unifying champion of the mentoring movement. Each year since its launch in 2002, the campaign has enjoyed the strong support of the President and the United States Congress. Other well-known supporters include the late Maya Angelou, Clint Eastwood, Senator John McCain, Quincy Jones, General Colin L. Powell, Cal Ripken Jr., the late Bill Russell (MENTOR founding board member), and Usher. Each year, the President’s office also issues a National Mentoring Month proclamation highlighting the crucial role that mentors play in young people’s lives.
To become a mentor, go to mentoring.org and take the first step via the Mentoring Connector.
To learn more about the role mentoring plays in our community, visit www.standupcasscounty.org.
ABOUT Stand UP Cass County -Our coalition, STAND UP Cass County, provides education and training. We partner with others to raise awareness about positive youth development, design programs and campaigns for parents and mentors, host events, change laws and policies, and bring more resources to primary prevention. We focus on youth mental health and substance abuse prevention efforts.
ABOUT MENTOR
MENTOR is the unifying champion for expanding the quality and quantity of mentoring relationships across the United States. MENTOR was created 35 years ago to expand opportunities for young people by building a youth mentoring field and movement. The result: a more than 10-fold increase in young people in mentoring relationships. Today, MENTOR is the expert voice representing a movement that meets young people everywhere they are – from schools, to workplaces, and beyond. MENTOR operates in collaboration with 23 Affiliates providing local servant leadership and expertise across the nation, with several more in development.
SOURCE: News release from Stand UP Cass County