Durham, N.C. – My Brother’s Keeper Durham (MBK Durham) is launching its first initiative campaign “31 Mentors in 31 Days” during the month of January, seeking to fill the constant need for mentors to build ladders of opportunity for Durham’s boys and young men of color. During the campaign, volunteers will be asked to mentor one or more youth – with local community partners or school-based organizations.

The drive began with a proclamation from the Durham City Council on January 2, 2018, of January being National Mentoring Month. It continues with a similar proclamation from the Durham Board of County Commissioners at their first Regular Session of 2018 on Monday, January 8, inside Commissioners’ Chambers, 200 E. Main St., 2^nd Floor, at 7 p.m. That will be followed by a Mentor Mingle at Mellow Mushroom, 410 Blackwell St., from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 18.

Throughout the month of January, MBK Durham will also provide free mentoring training hosted by the Thomas Mentor Leadership Academy, a grassroots mentoring organization in Durham. Campaign activities include partnership recruitment with fraternities, colleges and universities, corporations, and local businesses.

“We are happy to support National Mentoring Month and the various mentoring and youth services organizations through our ’31 Mentors in 31 Days’ campaign,” said Edmund P. Lewis, Jr., MBK Durham Program Manager. “We will be building momentum directing our efforts toward finding much-needed mentors for youth who may simply need extra motivation towards reaching their highest aspirations. We want to stress how these supportive, healthy relationships formed between mentors and mentees can actually result in life-changing benefits for both.”

MBK Durham, founded in 2014, was founded after President Barack Obama’s National My Brother’s Keeper Alliance issued a “call for action.” Its vision is to make possible every young person getting an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity, regardless of circumstances, and making it a reality for all of Durham’s boys and young men of color.

For more information on MBK Durham, email MyBrothersKeeper@dconc.gov, visit www.dconc.gov, or call (919) 560-8154.