To my wonderful Mentor Foundation USA supporters, advocates, youth, and readers:
I hope the 2023 holiday season brought you comfort and joy! I personally found the close of 2023 to be a chance to slow down and reflect on not just the events of the past year, but what this year represented. In April, I was extended an opportunity to join Mentor USA and, even though it was a surprise, it took me all of 30 minutes to say, “Absolutely, yes!” For both myself and the organization, 2023 was a year of growth, discovery, and a leap into something new!
As an organization, this past year has been all about creating a solid foundation as we grow our impact on the West Coast. It was characterized by a host of remarkable achievements, awesome events, and transformative moments, all made possible by the unwavering support of our partner organizations, the continued efforts of our mentors and, of course, the incredible resilience and determination displayed by the young minds we have the privilege to mentor.
In the past months, I’ve also had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of wonderful members of other non-profits and I would be remiss if I didn’t extend my most gracious thanks to them for inviting Mentor USA to their events and allowing us to support them. What a gift it is to be fostering a community that supports youths in all sorts of ways!
In 2024, we plan to build on the efforts of 2023 by further growing the number of schools and youth organizations that our mentors champion, expanding our ambassador and sponsor network, and making Mentor USA a pillar of support to the communities we serve. And you can definitely look forward to more events and opportunities to actively support us (in person gala anyone?!)!
Becoming the president of a non-profit was not necessarily on my vision board for 2023, but it quickly became one of my greatest honors. I feel grateful every day to be at the helm of such an impactful organization. Believe me when I say that 2024’s vision board has Mentor Foundation USA all over it!
Happy New Year!!
Nicole