BEND, OR -- The Deschutes County Sheriff’s office is looking for adults interested in mentoring kids struggling with an incarcerated family member. Bob Moore is Project Coordinator for Central Oregon Partnerships for Youth (COPY). He tels KBND News volunteers come from all backgrounds, and many have no previous mentoring experience. "We require our volunteers to be over 21 years of age, and live mostly in Deschutes County because that’s the population of kids we work with and connect with. But, beyond that, just a diverse background and diverse skill sets are really something that’s great because it gives me more flexibility in identifying a kid in the community who would benefit from that."
Moore encourages those interested in volunteering to attend a free training and orientation on January 17th at the sheriff’s office. "It’s a six hour orientation that looks at our program policies, Q&A from a current volunteer, mentoring skill-sets, what incarceration looks like for a kid that’s struggling with a family member who’s incarcerated. So, we through that open at the sheriff’s office to let people take a look at our program, to see if it’s a good fit for what they’re looking to do with their time," Moore said.
Mentors are asked to spend a couple of hours each week connecting with a child. For more information on the program, Click HERE.
