One-On-One Boone County Mentoring Partnership Pairs Up Mentors With Local Youth Those local leaders in Lebanon promptly set to work implementing a graduation program at Lebanon High School as well as a The Lebanon-based Boone County mentoring initiative for local kids, and former Mentoring Partnership (BCMP) was Mayor Harold “Huck” Lewis held a dinner to officially launched as a nonprofit organization raise funds for the two projects. in 2015, but the seeds of the program were planted more than a decade ago. “At that point, we were housed at the Boys & Girls Club, and then in 2015 the decision “The partnership really started back when was made to officially launch the BCMP and a group of community leaders and business put the focus primarily on mentoring,” says people attended a State Farm-sponsored Wilson, who joined the organization four symposium and learned of the critical need years ago. for mentoring, and helping at-risk kids,” says Matt Wilson, executive director for the With a background in youth ministry BCMP. “They learned at that conference and counseling, Wilson says many kids that for every kid who drops out of high throughout Lebanon and surrounding school, it costs their community between communities are in need of a structured $300,000 and $500,000 over the course of mentoring program for a wide age range. the following 20 years.” Writer / Jon Shoulders Photography Provided
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“I was talking to so many kids in our community and was constantly thinking about what a good mentoring program would look like, then I found out about the BCMP and quickly joined forces,” he says, adding that the BCMP serves kids aged 8 to 17 and can sometimes accommodate younger ages on a case-by-case basis. Wilson says the organization strives to match mentors and mentees based on personality and areas of interest, as well as geographical proximity. “It’s a community-based program, and there are a lot of things to do locally for the mentors and mentees,” he says. “We try to host at least bimonthly group events - that is before COVID, and hopefully it will resume again soon - and we’ve done a bowling party,
