New Mentors Group Hopes to Enlist Volunteers

When Evanston community members convened a week after 13-year-old Dajae Coleman was shot to brainstorm ways to prevent another death like his, the idea of mentorship programs came up again and again.

Now, a new group has formed to help connect volunteers with the many mentor programs that already exist in Evanston. Called Evanston Mentors, the nonprofit is holding a kick-off information session on Tuesday, Nov. 27. 

 “Interacting with strong, caring adults is an important way that kids learn to be strong, caring adults themselves,” Evanston Mentors founder David Edelstein said in a press release. “When youth have somebody in their lives showing concern for how they’re doing academically and overall in life, they do better.”

Related: Nonviolence Meeting Brings Hundreds After Dajae's Death

Evanston Mentors grew out of the All Our Sons planning group, which has met for the past three years to explore the way that local organizations can serve Evanston youth, according to the press release. The Evanston Community Foundation recently awarded Evanston Mentors a grant to raise awareness of mentorship programs and to help recruit and train participants. 

“This collaboration to connect Evanston’s dedicated volunteers to Evanston youth holds a lot of promise” Evanston Community Foundation President and CEO Sara Schastok said in the release. “Building and connecting the resources we have here in Evanston is an important way to help our community thrive.” 

The information session will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 27, at the Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center, 1655 Foster St. Organizers will provide details about the mentoring opportunities available in Evanston and how volunteers can get involved. To RSVP, visit www.evanstonmentors.com.