CSC Update: Council invests additional $500,000 in mentoring to reduce waitlist

Another 200 Palm Beach County youth will be matched with supportive mentors thanks to approval this month of an additional $500,000 by Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County’s board.

The funding will expand youth mentoring services, administered by United Way of Palm Beach County, allowing for recruitment and training of 200 new mentors, thereby reducing the current waitlist. This additional funding comes during National Mentoring Month, dedicated to elevating the importance of mentoring and celebrating the transformative power of mentor/mentee relationships.

Research show that mentoring programs significantly enhance youth academic performance, school connectedness and engagement. Youth with mentors are more likely to attend school, get good grades and behave in class. Mentors also help youth build resilience and self-esteem, while setting and achieving career goals.

United Way’s Mentor Center, funded by CSC, partners with 17 mentoring agencies to serve 1,655 children in the county. The center also serves an additional 2,845 youth through agencies not directly funded by CSC. Now with total funding of $2.7 million from CSC, including the additional $500,000, United Way will be able to reduce the waitlist by 20 percent and strengthen its referral and training network.

In other business

CSC’s 40th Anniversary: Created as a local government by Palm Beach County voters in 1986, the Council launched its 40 years of service with a proclamation read by staff. The announcement kicks off a year of activities and engagements honoring the community’s vision of an independent government dedicated to ensuring every child in Palm Beach County has the opportunity to grow up healthy, safe, ready for school, and ready for life.

Children Served: Staff reported that CSC-funded programs directly served more than 52,000 children last fiscal year. Of those, 32,500+ received CSC scholarships and match funding for child care, afterschool care and summer camp.

Holiday Toy Shop: For the second year, CSC staff and family members spread holiday cheer by hosting a Holiday Toy Pop-Up Event, where nearly 40 families from CityHouse, Gold Coast Down Syndrome and CSC’s Resident Advisory Committee “shopped” hundreds of donated toys. Surplus toys were later donated to more families at CityHouse, RAW Academic Services and the Community Birth Fund.

Holiday Books: CSC Communications team members delivered more than 1,500 books in mid-December to the League of Cities at their annual Tri-City BBQ event in Belle Glade. The books then were distributed to children in the Glades region for the holidays. CSC has been donating books to this event since 2015.