Become a mentor and join a network of committed women who are helping formerly homeless and at-risk mothers achieve economic independence.

Mentors are vital to supporting and encouraging Scholars. Each Scholar is matched with a Mentor – ideally in their field of study.

Qualifications:

• Willingness to share your experiences as a woman in your field, as a college graduate, or as a parent
• Commitment to solving the issue of family homelessness

Responsibilities:

• Offer career, educational and life skills advice to Scholars based on your expertise
• Assist Scholars with the challenges of balancing work, school and family
• Help a Scholar find her voice, become assertive and advocate for herself
• Keep Scholars motivated and focused during trying or busy times
• Help Scholars build their professional network

Commitment:

• Mentors meet with Scholars in-person once or twice per month
• They also stay in regular contact with Scholars via E-mail and/or telephone
• We ask for a one year commitment

How Do I Get Involved?

One Family holds Mentor orientations, as well as recognition and networking events throughout the year where you can get to know staff, Scholars and other Mentors. Become part of the movement to end family homelessness, while meeting other dedicated professionals who share a passion for giving back. We hope you’ll join us!

If you are interested in becoming a mentor, please contact Valerie Paric, Career Development Specialist, at 617.423.0504 or vparic@onefamilyinc.org.

Start a Scholarship:

One Family Scholars represent a diverse groups of students, some of whom are working on degrees in the allied health professions, some pursuing Associate’s, Bachelors' or Masters' Degrees, and a few going on to pursue advanced degrees in Law and other disciplines.

OFS encourages the participation of all educational providers in our program, through scholarships, mentoring or by providing access and support services for our Scholars.

As a growing program, we've begun to form partnerships with schools, starting in the fall of 2004, when Bunker Hill Community College administration and faculty joined with One Family to provide a scholarship to an outstanding One Family Scholar, along with mentoring oversight and assistance from the faculty.

We are currently in the process of developing a similar partnerships with other colleges and universities throughout the state, and are actively seeking support from the academic community in expanding these opportunities.

The Scholars program looks forward to finding more ways to work together with the institutions that educate our scholars to reach our common goal of successful graduation and subsequent employment, and thus, a secure future for our scholars and their families.

If you, your company/community organization or educational institution are interested in supporting the One Family Scholars Program, there are a myriad of ways you can make this happen:

As an Individual:

• Become a mentor
• Facilitate a workshop - Do you have expertise in workshop facilitation, leadership skills, career development skills??
• Volunteer to tutor a scholar in college level math, English, the sciences, etc.
• Help a scholar move into a new home
• Donate funds, children’s clothing, computer (internet ready)
• Volunteer your professional experience: legal counseling, psychological counseling, etc.

As a Company/Organization/Community Group:

• Sponsor/host a One Family Event/One Family Scholar
• Provide grants for scholarships
• Provide paid internships for scholars
• Provide short-term job shadowing opportunities
• Provide meeting sites for workshops

As an Educational Institution:

• Provide tuition grants for One Family Scholars
• Provide Mentors for One Family Scholars
• Provide meeting sites for workshops
• Provide shadowing opportunities and tours of your facility for Scholars

For more information on how you can support this program please contact Melissa DeFreece, Program assistant, 617.423.0504 or mdefreece@onefamilyinc.org