Current Certified Programs

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Racine/Kenosha, Inc.
We provide one to one, outcome based, mentoring programs.  We serve children ages 6 to 18.  All volunteers fill out an application, are interviewed, provide references, and other information as needed.  Volunteers who are accepted are required to make a minimum commitment of three to five hours per month for one year.  Our mentor programs include School Based Mentoring, Faith Based Mentoring, and One to One Community Based Mentoring as a Big Brother or Big Sister. 

Big Sisters of Greater Racine, Inc.
Big Sisters of Greater Racine, Inc. is committed to the positive growth of young girls in our community by pairing them with caring volunteer women and encouraging friendships that foster guidance, motivation and hope.  Our goal is to empower young girls to achieve their best by providing positive role models and enrichment activities to build self-esteem, encourage learning opportunities, and demonstrate the importance of volunteerism.  This is done through building positive relationships and exposing Little Sisters to new experiences that they may otherwise have not had the opportunity to have.

Boys and Girls Club of Kenosha

The mission of BGC is to inspire, enable, and provide resources to all young people of Greater Kenosha to realize their full potential as productive, responsible, and caring citizens. This mentality is also applied to SMART. SMART’s mission, more specifically, is to expand the participants’ horizons and to enrich their life through experiences here at the Club. The Club strives to provide positive alternatives and techniques for creating successful relationships in the home, school, and community, and academic support. BGC offers group mentoring experiences for youth with a one adult to four youth ratio for adults that are looking to find ways to share their talents and special interests with club members.

Godfather's Club of Racine
Godfather's mission statement is:  "Dare to Dream".  With this mission, the program's purpose is to help restore lost goals and deferred dreams in the minds of the young males.  the program is designed to organize 25-50 mature men that will become Godfathers to 100 younger males for one year by being an integral part of their lives, serving as positive role models and friends.  Urban communities throughout America are strangled with staggering statistics related to crime, drug abuse, teenage suicides, teenage pregnancy, and school dropouts.  the escalating incarcerations of young males are issues that must be addressed.  With the creation of the godfather Program, the mission is to go into their neighborhoods and offer a serious attempt to address this critical crisis in our communities. 

John XXIII Educational Center
The John XXIII Educational Center of Racine, Wisconsin will offer programming for middle and high school students as well as adults.  It is ministry-sponsored by St. Patrick parish which serves a large number of Latino families.  It is an out growth of the former San Juan Diego Middle School which closed in 2009.
Afternoon and evening programming from 3:30 to 8:30 will offer tutoring, mentoring, homework help and enrichment activities in a safe environment.  Home visitations and in-school assistance will also be part of the program.  Graduates of the former SJDMS and other high school students will be the targeted high school population.  Future adult offerings will include ESL, GED and Spanish classes.   

Kenosha Area Business Alliance (KABA)
The Kenosha Area Business Alliance Mentor Program matches at-risk 3rd through 5th grade students with business mentor volunteers.  The purpose of the program is to establish a caring relationship and improve motivation to learn, self-esteem, and academic performance.  Mentors meet with their mentees for 30-45 minutes once a week during the school day.  During the in-school mentoring, mentors spend time building personal relationships with their mentee as well as helping build academic skills.  Mentors are encouraged to maintain the match throughout the entire three years.   

Mentor RUSD

MENTOR RUSD is an effort by the Racine Unified School District to provide mentors for students in our public schools. Locally, MENTOR RUSD has been endorsed by the RUSD Board of Education and Administration, building principals and teaching staff, Mayor John Dickert, and the Racine business community. MENTOR RUSD mentors have been active in many of the RUSD middle schools for three years. We are now expanding to select elementary schools. The intention of the MENTOR RUSD program is to provide modified school-based mentoring opportunities for students. Studies have shown that mentoring, over time, helps young people do better in school, stay out of trouble, plan for their future, and build self-esteem.

RSVP of Kenosha Mentoring Program

RSVP-Kenosha is America’s largest volunteer network for people age 55 and over.  These volunteers have gained a lifetime of experience.  RSVP matches the skills, talents and interest of volunteers with the needs of local non profit and public organizations. RSVP’s Kenosha chapter has established a mentoring program for elementary and middle school aged youth. The mission of the mentoring program is that RSVP mentors will serve as one-on-one connections between students with educational difficulties and senior citizens for the purpose of forwarding the academic progress and confidence of the child mentee.

RSVP of Racine Mentoring Program

The RSVP-Racine program provides mentors to function as supportive, caring role models.  By forming supportive relationships with their mentees, volunteers enhance their student’s social relationships and emotional well-being, improve cognitive functioning through conversation and joint activities, and promote positive identity development. Volunteers mentor K-8 students identified by teachers and/or school counselors as in need of assistance with social or life skills.  Mentors are matched with a student and will meet one-on-one, on school premises, for at least thirty minutes a week for nine consecutive months. The RSVP mentoring program operates under the auspices of the Volunteer Center of Racine.

SOAR Mentoring Program

SOAR is a charitable nonprofit organization that is committed to eliminating the academic achievement gap among children from families with limited financial resources.  SOAR works with families, private schools and regional partners to lead students to high school graduation and to higher education or sustainable careers.  Student support is one of SOAR's three major areas of concentration in its mission to extend more educational opportunities for economically disadvantaged students and the private schools that serve them.  In the 2011-12 school year, SOAR wishes to work with its partner schools in developing a SOAR Education Enrichment Center at each participating school.  The Education Enrichment Centers strive to offer academic support and enrichment opportunities to students during after-school hours and act as a liaison between the school and families to promote strong relationships among the students, teachers, parents and advocates.  Mentors are provided with training and full support throughout their volunteer experience.