Welcome to the second issue of Mentoring Matters for 2024, our quarterly newsletter! Our dedicated team of 3 part-time staff have been busy; it has been an exciting term, and our organisation is growing stronger than ever. Here’s a snapshot of Term 2 at Standing Tall:

• We processed 35 new student referrals and welcomed 22 enthusiastic new volunteer mentors to our family.
• Each week, 60 students and their mentors continued to strengthen their relationships during their school-based mentoring sessions.
• Our volunteers contributed 293 hours towards mentoring our students, an impressive increase from 166 hours in Term 1.
• Our students showed up for 343 hours, up from 209 hours in Term 1.
• We welcomed Branxholme Wallacedale Community School to our growing family, which now includes 16 primary and secondary school partners, extending our reach and impact.

This term was particularly special as we hosted our second annual Volunteers Conference, a heartwarming celebration of all the incredible volunteers in our community. We’ve also made remarkable progress on our new 3-year Strategic Plan, and we can’t wait to unveil it to you!

Our mission to provide impactful school-based mentoring remains steadfast, thanks to the unwavering support of our generous sponsors. This term, we are thrilled to acknowledge new donations from Peter Cook, ME and MJ Goodall t/as Envirex, Axis Cleaning Services, James Wellner, Heather Ward, Stuart Nelmes, PF Olsen, Toyworld Hamilton, the Handbury Foundation, Ace Radio Network, the Lions Club, the Gall Family Foundation, and Wellways.

We invite you to dive into this issue and join us in celebrating the profound impact of mentoring on our community. Happy reading!