(Photo Courtesy: Teammates Mentoring Program)
Yesterday, Governor Jim Pillen and other state officials announced huge investments into mentoring programs across the state, aimed at improving reading proficiency among elementary students.
The READ Nebraska grant program, established by the Nebraska Legislature at the request of Gov. Pillen during the 2023 legislative session, allocates $4.8 million to the Department of Economic Development to provide aid to 11 mentoring organizations with programs designed to improve reading levels for Nebraskan youth.
“Economic development is really driven by workforce development. Driven by talent. It’s driven by people,” said DED Director K.C. Belitz, “We know full well that Nebraska has lots of careers and opportunities that we can’t fill because we don’t have enough people. So you look at what we’re celebrating today, and I would submit that this is a long range strategy to begin to address some of that gap.”
The 11 recipients awarded grants through the READ Nebraska program:
- Big Brothers Big Sisters Lincoln
- Big Brothers Big Sisters Omaha
- Big Brothers Big Sisters Central Nebraska
- Girls Incorporated of Omaha
- Bannisters Leadership Academy
- TeamMates Mentoring
- Partnerships 4 Kids
- The Friends Program in Kearney
- Community Connections in Lincoln County
- MENTOR Nebraska
- MentoringWorks in Hastings
Director Belitz spoke to the value of mentoring relationships at the announcement, “There’s that skill building piece. That relationship can translate into lots of opportunities that that child may not have without that mentor being present in their life. There’s also the connection piece. We want those young people to be Nebraskans when they’re adults. One of the best ways to make that happen is for them to have a connection.”