BROOKINGS – Brookings County Youth Mentoring Program recently received a donation from Larson Manufacturing Company. The financial contribution of $8,000 was made by Larson employees.

“BCYMP is thankful for the generosity of Larson Manufacturing Company. Our mentors help mentees discover who they are and encourage the young person to engage and contribute to the world around them. Our mentors are volunteers, and we do not expect them to take on any financial commitments to be a mentor. We are glad to be able to support our mentors so they can focus on the developmental relationship with their mentee,” BCYMP Executive Director Ali Teesdale said. 

The average national cost for programs like BCYMP is $1,695 per year/per child; yet, BCYMP efficiently does this work each year for less than $1,000 per BCYMP mentoring pair. Therefore, this gift will fully support eight mentoring pairs for the entire year. BCYMP currently serves around 115 1:1 mentoring pairs, supports small group opportunities for youth, and has a waiting list of over 30 mentees wanting to be involved in the program.

The employees of Larson Manufacturing Company have a history of supporting BCYMP. Besides financial contributions, they have also created tie blankets in the past, encouraged employees to be a mentor, and also have families with students in the program. 

Research shows that mentors play a powerful role in providing young people with the tools to make responsible choices, attend and engage in school, and reduce or avoid risky behavior. 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, and 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. 

BCYMP is appreciative of companies like Larson Manufacturing Company that believe in the power of mentoring and support the BCYMP mission to increase the resiliency of young people in our community and add protective factors by building and supporting consistent, encouraging relationships with trained, caring adults.

BCYMP will celebrate National Mentoring Month in January. To learn more about this and BCYMP, visit bcymentoring.org. You may also contact Teesdale directly at ali@bcymentoring.org or by calling 605-697-0444.