In March, 2010, the Protecting, Healing and Teaching Kids Mentoring Program (P.H.A.T) will partner with Garner Parks & Recreation Department to offer a new program at the Avery Street Recreation Center located at 125 Avery Street in Garner.

The P.H.A.T. Kids Mentoring Program is part of a national effort lead by the Corporation for National and Community Service and the NC Mentoring Partnership. Both organizations aim to raise awareness of the various forms of mentoring, as they recruit individuals in the community to mentor and promote the rapid growth of mentoring in our community and across the nation.

The goal of the mentoring program is to help young people build character and life skills through exposure to colleges and universities, the arts, and the world of work. Research has shown that programs that rely on volunteer mentors can play a powerful role in reducing drug abuse and youth violence, while greatly enhancing a young person's prospects for leading a healthy and productive life.

The partnership between P.H.A.T. Kids Mentoring Program and Garner Parks & Recreation Department will be a great asset to Garner and to the School Acres Neighborhood. When asked if a program like this would help the youth in the local neighborhood, Reginald Buie, Garner’s Neighborhood Improvement Manager, said, “The P.H.A.T. Kids Mentoring Program will play a vital role in shaping the lives of children and young adults in the Town of Garner by providing a safe and educational environment in which they can thrive. The P.H.A.T. Kids Mentoring Program will do much to improve the lives of children attending the Avery Street After School Program in the School Acres Community.”

The new program will also enhance the Avery Street After School Program that is currently being offered at the recreation center by the Garner Parks & Recreation Department. This free program allows students to come to the recreation facility after school to play basketball, board games and active video games and provides a safe and productive environment and place to stay after school each day. Jack Baldwin, Avery Street Recreation Center Supervisor, stated, “Working with the P.H.A.T. Kids Mentoring Program will add a new dimension to our after school program. With this partnership, we will be able to do more for the youth who attend our program.”

The P.H.A.T. Kids Mentoring will launch the start of their mentoring program on Mar. 6, at the Summer Fun Fair at Avery Street Recreation Center. The fair runs from 10 a.m. to noon and includes demonstrations and information on a variety of programs and camps that will be offered in the area for children this summer. A question and answer session for those interested in their child participating in the P.H.A.T. Kids Mentoring program will be available and adults can also find out more about volunteering as a program mentor.

“There is a need for mentoring in our community and what better way to give back than to help a child realize their full potential,” Pebbles McClain the Executive Director of the P.H.A.T. Kids Mentoring Program states. The P.H.A.T. Kids Mentoring Program is dedicated to supporting the effort to recruit mentors for the youth of Wake County and the surrounding areas. Everyone benefits when our young people are prepared for the future.

For additional information on the P.H.A.T. Kids Mentoring program or to become a mentor, please visit www.phatkidsmentoring.org or call 919-349-2226. For more information on this new program or any Garner Parks & Recreation Department program, the Avery Street After School Program, or the Summer Fun Fair, please call Amy Dallaire with the Garner Parks & Recreation Department at 919-772-4688 or visit the Town of Garner web site at www.garnernc.gov.