VIRTUAL: Mentor Scholarship Recipients

Are you passionate? Caring? A good listener? Enthusiastic? Motivating?

Are you looking for an opportunity to build a special relationship, expand your network, develop your personal and professional skills and give back to your community in the process?

If you said yes to any of these questions, Words Alive wants to hear from you!

Words Alive connects children, young adults, and families to the power of reading. They are currently recruiting mentors to support their scholarship recipients as they prepare to transition from post-secondary education to the work force. Many of their scholars have faced extraordinary circumstances such as homelessness, violence, teen pregnancy, impact by the justice system and are facing additional challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mentors are paired with an individual scholar for one academic year and support their personal development by balancing guidance in school and career matters with broader cultural experiences to help them become more independent, proactive, and resourceful advocates for themselves and their futures.

How You Will Make a Difference:

"Words Alive has empowered me by motivating and supporting my educational journey. It has given me the opportunity to break the cycle of poverty through literacy and speech. I have come to an awareness that as a student and single young mother my lack of education and resources would affect my children and continue the negative cycle of poverty and educational gap. I now know education is important and critical in my life, to learning how to advocate for myself and my family needs. I feel confident in reading paperwork or homework assignments and understanding it," - Westreich Scholarship Recipient

"I think it’s important to share advice and knowledge with the next generation. There are so many paths one can take in life. I benefited from learning from a mentor, and if I can help someone navigate through the unclear waters of schooling or establishing a career, then it’s important to me that I do so." - Mentor

"It has changed my life by giving me a mentor and an organization I can call home and share what’s going on in my life without a second thought whether or not I can trust them. They have made me a better person throughout college and professionally and given a lot of insight into expanding on my dreams." - Westreich Scholarship Recipient

"In my experience, the only thing that matters in life are the connections and relationships you build with people. I learn just as much from them as I hope they learn from me. Every encounter with a scholar is a great reminder that we all need support to be successful in life regardless of age, stature, or experience. " - Mentor

Opportunity Requirements & Important Notes:

Applicants must:

• Attend a Volunteer Orientation

• Submit a Volunteer Application

• Complete a background check

• Attend the Words Alive mentor training

• Meet with the scholar at least once per month (virtually)

• Attend all in-service trainings, workshops, and scholar events

• Stay connected with scholar between meetings via phone/email/text

About Words Alive

Words Alive provides essential literacy services to underserved students and families. Their mission is to open opportunities for life success by inspiring a commitment to reading.