In January 2008, I left Essence magazine after 37 years to join with community leaders in mounting the largest mentoring movement in the history of the nation. Founded in 2006 as Essence CARES, the National CARES Mentoring Movement is today a fast-growing coalition of some of the nation's most trusted organizations, concerned Black Americans and caring supporters.

The vision for starting Essence Cares came in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. I thought about what I might ask of the 200,000 people who would gather in Houston for the Essence Music Festival that would make a difference in the life of our community. Fueled by the vision of mentoring as a weapon to fight the forces damping young lives, I reached out to celebrities and the leaders of some of our most trusted organizations in the nation to join me. No one refused; they and many other leaders, activists and scholars helped to make this program a reality.



National CARES Mentoring Movement is dedicated to recruiting and connecting mentors with local youth-serving and mentoring organizations. National Cares Mentoring Movement aims to close the huge gap between the relatively few Black adult mentors and the millions of vulnerable Black children on mentoring organizations' waiting lists throughout the nation. It is imperative that we raise awareness of the critical need for mentors and role models among Black adults.

We are dedicated to recruiting and connecting mentors with local youth service organizations to help guide our struggling children to academic and social success. Research proves that mentoring is a low-cost, high-results solution to a deepening crisis. Mentoring has the power to transform even the most challenged children’s lives.

National CARES Mentoring Movement
National Office
5 Penn Plaza - 23rd Floor
New York, NY 10011
Phone: (404) 584-2744
Fax: (404) 525-6226
www.caresmentoring.org