Mentors wanted for 9/11 children

Memories fade, even those as shocking as the collapse of the World Trade Center towers. For some Queens kids, those images show the exact moment they lost their father or mother.
Tuesday’s Children, a national nonprofit organization that provides services to 9-11 families, is currently recruiting young, active male adults from Queens to serve as a positive role model for children who lost a parent on September 11.
The group provides a wide-range of services for September 11 families, including mentoring, advocacy for children, next-step life skills and leadership training for adults.
The mentoring program was structured and implemented in conjunction with MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership. It pairs these children with specially-trained adult role models who can offer new opportunities, provide guidance, enhance coping skills and most of all have fun.
Candidates will be screened and trained by mentoring experts and then matched with a child in their area. Mentors must be at least 18 years of age and agree to a one-year commitment.
“Our goal is to ensure that the thousands of children who lost a parent on September 11th never walk alone,” said Jennifer Betancourt Aparicio, director of mentoring for Tuesday’s Children. “The importance of a mentor’s friendship, encouragement and support is incalculable. With a mentor’s help these kids will have another source of strength and guidance as they grow into adolescence and young adulthood.”
The program is community-based, taking place at either the mentee’s home or somewhere within the community. The mentors will meet twice a month (days, times and locations are flexible) for one-on-one sessions with their mentee, which may include playing basketball in the backyard, helping with homework, taking in a sporting event or just providing a shoulder to lean on.
The group also offers quarterly outings such as ice skating, museums, bowling, and picnics as well as tickets to various events like Mets and Nets games, Broadway shows, or the circus.
For more information about Tuesday’s Children, or to volunteer to be a mentor, contact Jennifer at 212-319-3988, or email jennifer@tuesdayschildren.org.