A Mission for Mentorship in Uniondale

Uniondale, N.Y. – There is a mission for mentorship happening in the Uniondale Union Free School District! Recently, The New York State Mentoring Program partnered with The Book Fairies to donate 3,000 books to the Uniondale Union Free School District. The books were distributed to staff members during a Districtwide mentor training event, a new initiative to connect teacher mentors with students.

“We recognize how important it is for young people to have mentors in their lives,” said Dr. William K. Lloyd, Superintendent of the Uniondale School District. “We’re honored to have Mrs. Matilda Cuomo visit us and speak about the importance of this program.”

The training event was held at Uniondale High School, Lawrence Road Middle School and Turtle Hook Middle School and was led by Diane Urso, Regional Coordinator for the NYS Mentoring Program. Books were provided to every teacher in the District to share with students as part of their mentoring relationship.

Former First Lady of New York Mrs. Matilda Cuomo, the visionary behind this one-to-one mentoring program, was there to motivate and congratulate Uniondale educators on taking up this mantle. In collaboration with the NYS mentoring program, the non-profit organization The Book Fairies donated 3000 books for staff mentors to read with their mentees.

The New York State Mentoring Program was created by Mrs. Matilda Cuomo as the nation’s first statewide unique school-based one-to-one mentoring program to prevent school dropout and to encourage youth to stay in school and graduate for a successful future. Having a mentor has been shown to help instill self-confidence in young people and improve their communication and problem solving skills.

The Uniondale Union Free School District believes that by providing teachers with the resources they need, being mentors to students will instill a love for literacy within students and guide them toward a brighter future.