MENTOR MARYLAND Affiliate Expands Services to Washington, D.C., Becomes MENTOR Maryland | DC
June 11, 2021
June 11, 2021 – MENTOR Maryland announced its expansion into Washington, D.C. this week, unveiling a new logo and name, MENTOR Maryland | DC. The organization, one of 24 local MENTOR Affiliates, recently partnered with former D.C.-based mentoring support nonprofit, MentorPrize, to expand its reach to the D.C. area and provide expertise and support to more than 100 additional youth development programs impacting young people in the metro area.
Executive Director Sadiq Ali says, “MENTOR Maryland’s first few years were steeped in our collective passion to see young people succeed and to do so according to the principles of equity and according to young people’s definition of success. After undergoing an extensive strategic planning process and now this merger and expansion into D.C., we’re ready to amplify our efforts; amplify youth voice; amplify the drive for making our planet a more equitable place and to eradicate racism in all its forms; and finally, to amplify the notion we are thousand times stronger together than we are apart.”
As a local Affiliate of MENTOR, the unifying champion of youth mentoring, MENTOR Maryland | DC provides regional, state, and local leadership and infrastructure necessary to support quality mentoring relationships and close the mentoring gap. Each local Affiliate engages with private, public, and nonprofit sectors to ensure that all young people have the support they need through mentoring relationships. This expansion allows MENTOR Maryland | DC to reach more programs that directly impact young people in the region. MENTOR CEO David Shapiro says, “MENTOR is so proud to see this merger result in expanding servant leadership for the mentoring movement in Maryland and D.C. We are grateful to MentorPrize for their innovative foundational work and partnership in this important transition. This expanded footprint for our Affiliate network equates to more prioritization and support for the movement to ensure all our young people are met with supportive relationship in community, at school, and in the workplace.”
The expansion was launched at the DMV Summer Mentoring Mixer event on June 9 in D.C. The event allowed the organization to reintroduce themselves to mentoring programs across the D.C. area, and was attended by representatives from local mentoring programs. Laurese Gerald, a leader of UNCUT Youth, LLC., shared her thoughts: “This is a much-needed movement in D.C. This expansion can help show young people their true potential and increase their confidence.”
To hear directly from more mentoring programs serving D.C.-youth and learn about what’s important to them, MENTOR Maryland | DC will host three virtual town halls throughout the summer. To register for the townhalls or to learn more, visit mentormddc.org/our-work/dc-expansion.