FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? OJJDP

FRIDAY, JANUARY 19, 2001 ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 202/307-0703

 

 

???????? NEW GRANTS TO SUPPORT MENTORING EFFORTS FOR AT-RISK YOUTH

 

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- More than 2,500 at-risk young people in 20 states and Puerto Rico will receive one-to-one mentoring to help keep them in school and away from drugs and crime.? More than $5.6 million in Justice Department grants will be distributed to 28 sites, including Atlanta, Detroit, Jacksonville and Oakland, through the Juvenile Mentoring Program (JUMP). ???????

?We know that at-risk young people who are fortunate enough to have a mentor are less likely to turn to violence, drugs or alcohol than others,? said John J. Wilson, Acting Administrator of the Justice Department?s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), which administers the JUMP grants.? ?The challenge is providing a mentor to every youth who needs one.?

?OJJDP selected the 28 sites through a competitive review process from a pool of 534 applicants.? Awards range from $190,000 to $210,000 for use over the next three years.

The varied mentoring programs share three goals: improved academic performance, reduced school dropout rates and prevention of delinquent behavior.? All sites are required to coordinate their activities with local schools.? Some programs emphasize tutoring and academics, others emphasize vocational counseling and job skills.

Many sites will recruit law enforcement officers as mentors.? College students, senior citizens, military personnel, business people, clergy, doctors, lawyers, teachers, tribal leaders and government employees will serve as volunteer mentors in other programs.? Prospective mentors can call a toll-fee number, 1-877/Be-A-Mentor (1-877/232-6368), to receive a list of nearby JUMP sites and other mentoring programs that need volunteers.

Young people participating in the projects will be drawn from first grade through high school. Ten sites focus on minority youth and 2 sites target girls.? Five projects specifically target court-involved youth.

The sites represent a strong cross-section of projects from every region in the nation. Eight are predominantly rural, 16 are urban, 2 include both rural and urban areas, 1 is suburban, while 1 is on an Indian reservation. All sites will also participate in the continuing national evaluation of JUMP.

Attached is a list of JUMP grants.?? Information about JUMP and other OJJDP programs, publications and conferences is available from OJJDP?s Web site at www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org and from OJJDP's Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse, Box 6000, Rockville, Maryland 20857.? The toll-free number is 1-800/638-8736. Copies of the recent OJJDP bulletin Juvenile Mentoring Program: A Progress Review are also available through the Web site and Clearinghouse.

Information about other bureaus and program offices in the Justice Department?s Office of Justice Programs is available at www.ojp.usdoj.gov.? Media should contact OJP?s Office of Congressional and Public Affairs at 202/307-0703.

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OJJDP 01040


OFFICE OF JUVENILE? AND DELINQUENCY PREVENTION

JUVENILE MENTORING PROGRAM (JUMP)

GRANT AWARDEES - FY 2000

 

 

 

STATE

 

CITY

 

GRANTEE

 

AMOUNT*

 

CONTACT

 

PHONE NUMBER

 

Alabama

 

Montgomery

 

Fathers Active in Children's Education

 

$210,000

 

Willie L. Cook

 

334/281‑7775

 

Arizona

 

Prescott

 

Yavapai Big Brothers/Big Sisters

 

$209,684

 

?M. Kathleen Murphy

 

520/778‑5135

 

Arkansas

 

Pine Bluff

 

Jefferson County Government

 

$210,000

 

Mr. Lee A. Johnson

 

870/541‑8502

 

California

 

Oakland

 

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the East Bay

 

$208,605

 

Curtiss Sarikey

 

510/729‑5061

 

California

 

San Jose

 

Friends Outside in Santa Clara County

 

$210,000

 

Jennifer Tait

 

408/295‑6033

 

California

 

 

Santa Cruz

 

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Santa Cruz City

 

$210,000

 

Marie Cubillas

 

831/464‑8691

 

California

 

South Lake Tahoe

 

Tahoe Youth and Family Services

 

$210,000

 

Melissa Berry

 

530/541‑2445

 

Florida

 

Jacksonville

 

Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Florida, Inc.

 

$209,921

 

Michael Elem

 

904/727‑9797

 

Georgia

 

Atlanta

 

Cool Girls, Inc.

 

$210,000

 

Michelle Pearce

 

404/420‑4364

 

Indiana

 

Gary

 

Youth Family Community Renewal

 

$210,000

 

Bennie Simmons

 

219/883‑6642

 

Illinois

 

Carbondale

 

The Exeter Group, Ltd.

 

$210,000

 

Carol Tomaszewicz

 

618/351‑1604

 

Illinois

 

Chicago

 

Sinai Community Institute

 

$210,000

 

Claude Jacob

 

773/257‑4796

 

Kentucky

 

Newport

 

Newport Board of Education

 

$205,352

 

Frank Bruns

 

606/292‑3030

 

STATE

 

CITY

 

GRANTEE

 

AMOUNT*

 

CONTACT

 

PHONE NUMBER

 

Maine

 

Augusta

 

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kennebee Valley

 

$195,557

 

Elizabeth Merrifield

 

207/626‑3408

 

Michigan

 

Detroit

 

Henry Ford Health System

 

$209,216

 

J. Richard Blakeney

 

313/871‑5455

 

Missouri

 

Kansas City

 

Youth Friends

 

$210,000

 

Lisa Adkins

 

816/842‑7082

 

Nebraska

 

Omaha

 

Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska at Omaha

 

$209,993

 

Theresa Barron‑McKeagney

 

402/554‑2791

 

New Hampshire

 

Nashua

 

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Nashua, Inc.

 

$190,000

 

Donna Swartwout

 

603/883‑4851

 

New York

 

Hempstead

 

Leadership Training Institute (LTI)

 

$208,641

 

Mel Jackson

 

516/483‑3400

 

New York

 

Rochester

 

Urban League of Rochester, N.Y., Inc.

 

$210,000

 

William G. Clark

 

716/325‑6530

 

Oklahoma

 

Idabel

 

Kiamichi Youth Services, Inc. (KYS)

 

$210,000

 

John H. Lambe

 

580/286‑3009

 

Oregon

 

Portland

 

Community Project for At‑Risk Youth

 

$210,000

 

Elizabeth Katona

 

503/731‑8797

 

Puerto Rico

 

San Juan

 

Inter American University of Puerto Rico

 

$209,266

 

Amaury Boscio

 

787/766‑1912

 

Tennessee

 

Jackson

 

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Madison County, Inc.

 

$199,847

 

Michael Jackson

 

901/935‑2447

 

Texas

 

Brownsville

 

Brownsville Independent School District

 

$210,000

 

Jimmy R. Haynes

 

956/548‑8242

 

STATE

 

CITY

 

GRANTEE

 

AMOUNT*

 

CONTACT

 

PHONE NUMBER

 

Texas

 

Edinburg

 

New Beginnings Behavioral Health Services, Inc.

 

$209,990

 

Todd Kitsmiller

 

956/630‑5661

 

Texas

 

El Paso

 

Family Service of El Paso, Inc.

 

$209,640

 

Richard Salcido

 

915/544‑4203

 

Wyoming

 

Arapahoe

 

Boys & Girls Club of the Northern Arapaho Tribe

 

$209,887

 

Daniel J. Oldman

 

307/857‑0545

 

 

Total: ???????????????????????????????????????????????????$5,688,970

 

* Award amounts are subject to final budget review