Congratulations to Jen Newman
for being selected
2007 OUTSTANDING MENTOR OF THE YEAR

Back Row (left to right): Harla Tumbleson, Director of SOAR; Jim Marsh, WA State Mentors Director; Jen Newman, Outstanding Mentor of the Year Award Winner; Tim Randolph, Juvenile Rehabilitation Mentoring Program; David Eisner, Corporation for National and Community Service CEO
Front Row (left to right): Eric Liu, organizer of Guiding Lights Weekend and author of Guiding Lights: How to Mentor - and Find Life's Purpose; Salome Hammond, Juvenile Rehabilitation Mentoring Program; Mersadies Sanders, Community for Youth student; Governor Christine Gregoire
(photo: Sam Smith)

We are pleased to inform you that your nominee, Ms. Jennifer Newman, has been selected as the Outstanding Mentor of the Year. We were touched by Jennifer's dedication and the extraordinary impact she has made in Mercede's life. Jennifer is truly an inspiring individual and we are honored to be able to recognize her accomplishments as a mentor.
- Mona Leach Grife
OMY Award Chair - United Way of King County
King County Mentoring Coalition

Having someone like Jennifer Newman in my life is like having one of those little angels that sits on your shoulder to guide you. I've known Jen for over a year and already I consider her one of my best friends. She is honest, loyal, considerate, kind and very energetic. She's also very funny and keeps me laughing when I need it the most. Since I've met Jen, I've learned to keep my mind focused on the positive prospects of life rather than festering on the negative. She's taught me to always be honest even when it's hard and that I don't need to change myself to please a crowd. Thanks to her, mine and my mom's relationship has improved ten-fold. And it's funny because she has never interfered with my family problems; but instead just opened my eyes very wide to see all my possibilities. She's helped me set realistic goals and plans to reach each one of them. Because of my mentor (of the year :) ), I feel like my mind is more focused, my spirit more at peace and when I'm feeling down, I know that on my shoulder is that little angel named Jennifer Newman.
- Mersadies Sanders
Letter of Nomination
Written and submitted by Jen's mentee,
a sophomore at Cleveland High School.

The Outstanding Mentor of the Year
is sponsored by:

• The United Way of King County
  
• SOAR
  
• Washington State Mentoring Partnership
  
• Guiding Lights Weekend
  

What makes Community for Youth unique:

• We build a community of support for students and mentors
• We teach and instill core concepts focused on personal growth and accountability
• Students and mentors are involved in the selection of their match
• We place a strong emphasis on mentor training and support
• We place a staff member in each of our schools during the school day.

• 90 - 100% of students in our programs stay in school (compared to 78% of Seattle Public High School students)
  
  
• 90%+ of those students who stay in our programs graduate from high school (compared to 58.9% of Seattle Public High School students)
  
  
• 83% of our students positively changed their behavior and/or achieved their goal
  
  
• 93% of our students reported that they benefited from our program
  
  
• 86% believe they gained a sense of personal accountability
  
  
• 97% feel connected to the community