On April 11th, 2019, several volunteer staff from Cross Over Community Development successfully completed Partner Certification Training led by The Mentoring Collaborative of Montgomery County. This training is made available to the staff of partners agencies such as COCD who intend to widen their outreach programming for youth. By completing the training, COCD is now a certified partner of the Mentoring Collaborative of Montgomery County, which opens doors to partnering on services and networking with other organizations in the community. 

Pictured here are COCD members, Catherine Bitwayiki, Amanda May, Poorani Muregesan, and Jacqueline Radebaugh. Special thanks go to Jane McEwan and Jessica Bloomingdale for leading the training. 

The Mentoring Collaborative of Montgomery County, Ohio (MCMC), is the center of support for youth mentoring programs. In 2001, Montgomery County recognized the need for a lead organization to coordinate a network of agencies that were direct providers of mentoring programs for youth. Today the Mentoring Collaborative provides mentoring resource development, training and certification of partner agencies and mentors. 

MCMC’s vision is to ensure that every youth who wants a mentor will be connected with an adult who cares about them  and who is willing to commit to the mentoring process. Validated research results reflect that young people who have the benefit of a mentor will maneuver through life more successfully. 

The emphasis of the organization’s strategy includes: 

• Training the staffs of partners agencies on the Elements of Effective Mentoring
• Closely guarded ongoing background screenings of all mentors to ensure “match safety” 
• Continuous training, consultation and technical support for all partner agencies

Mentoring Collaborative is an extension of the Sinclair College brand as a component of community outreach services. In addition to collaborating with Sinclair, MCMC also works in conjunction with the Montgomery Country Human Services Planning and Development Department.