The Collier County Education Foundation is in need of a few good mentors and officials say the reward goes both ways.

“This is a program that is an opportunity for a person who wants to be part of changing a young person for the better,” says Liz Allbritten, vice president of Take Stock in Children.

First implemented in 1996, the program is currently lacking enough mentors to serve participating students in the Eastern portion of the county.

Morton Platt says he'­s glad he took the time to make a difference in a young person'­s life. He is shown with his Take Stock student Oliver Cuevas.

According to Allbritten, there has been a 40 percent increase in the program, which now serves 235 children.

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“We are still lacking mentors for students at Cypress Palm, Corkscrew Middle School, Immokalee, and Manatee Middle, too,” she says. “We want our kids to be exposed to many different occupations and different fields.”

With a 93 percent success rate, Take Stock provides $5,000 for every seventh grader in the program. The funding is matched at the state level for a total of $10,000 per participant.

In return, students sign an agreement to remain drug and crime free, maintain satisfactory grades and exhibit good behavior in and out of school until graduation. Parents are required to sign the agreement as well. As long as financial need is there and the student remains true to the contract, the scholarship covers all tuition related costs of two years at a community college level, and two years at a State of Florida University. A violation of the contract will cause the student to be dismissed from the program and the scholarship to be awarded to another deserving student.

An integral part of the program’s success is the adult mentor assigned to each student.

Mentors, who are screened and trained, make a one-year commitment to provide the motivation and encouragement necessary to keep their Take Stock student on course. Students must be matched with a mentor before they can be officially inducted into the program.

Students and mentors meet once a week on the school campus. Most mentors choose to remain with their student until he or she graduates from high school, sometimes college.

“The focus is on the student graduating high school, and getting into college,” Allbritten explains. “The weekly visits, which can be completed during a person’s lunch hour, can create a powerful impact on the life of a teen in school.”

Teachers are also welcome to become mentors.

“There are many teachers in Collier County Public Schools that are mentors, but it is still a challenge in trying to find people,” she adds.

Stepping up to the plate to serve the needs of students in Immokalee, mentors from Temple Shalom are seeking transportation to make their weekly visits as a group. They are currently partnering with the Immokalee Foundation to secure busing to and from the community.

To learn more about getting involved in The Take Stock in Children Program go to: www.educationforcollier.org. or call 643-4755 for more information.