LONG ISLAND, N.Y. – Today, the General Motors Foundation donated $25,000 to the National CARES Mentoring Movement to help fund critical mentoring programs for black youth in challenging environments nationwide.
Funds from the GM Foundation will also help ensure that nearly 60 volunteer-based local CARES affiliates receive ongoing training to implement responsive education programs.
CARES mentoring teams include a mix of professionals – literacy tutors, retired teachers, psychologists, social workers, health experts – along with an intergenerational group of volunteer mentors. Through this diverse network, students receive tutoring, academic and career advice, along with strategies for managing challenges and living healthy, purpose driven lives.
“As corporate and community leaders, we have a responsibility to guide, teach and encourage the next generation,” said GM Foundation President Vivian Pickard. “We share CARES’ passion to provide resources and programs that aim to strengthen young minds and instill hope in our nation’s future leaders.”
The National CARES Mentoring Movement was founded in 2005 by Susan L. Taylor with the goal of addressing illiteracy among children in African American communities and providing solutions to help students reach their fullest potential academically and personally.
“It would be impossible to overstate the gratitude CARES feels toward the GM Foundation. The consistent commitment the Foundation has shown to our precious children not only serves as a corporate model, but as assurance that the most vulnerable ones among us will not be left behind,” said Susan L. Taylor, CEO of the National CARES Mentoring Movement and Editor-in-Chief Emerita of Essence Magazine.
CARES has a robust national reach, which includes a network of dedicated members who mentor over 190,000 children annually. In 2013, 86 percent of youth involved with CARES stated that they felt more engaged in school, and 94 percent indicated that they felt more confident they will succeed academically.