Mentor and Donor of the Year Named

Mentor Me-North Georgia celebrated its 10th anniversary with a breakfast and awards ceremony.

During Tuesday's event Brian Criste and Trisha Welch were named Mentor and Donor of the Year respectively.

Criste has been mentoring a child since July of 2009 and lives in Cumming with his wife. Welch is a founding member of Mentor Me and also lives in Cumming with her husband and twin boys.

More than 175 people were in attendance including, Lynn Jackson, administrator of , the title sponsor.

Commissioners Brian Tam and Todd Levent, Board of Education member Kristin Morrisey, County Manager Doug Derrer, Judge Woody Jordan and Juvenile Court Judge Rusty Jackson were also there, according to Sylvia Cardona, executive director of Mentor Me-North Georgia.

"We had a wonderful group of people in attendance," she said.

During the celebration there were two poem readings by children enrolled in the Mentor Me program.

Sean and Molly Moore read the first poem by Theresa Genter entitled "My Mentor, My Friend." The second was read by Taylor and McKenzie Cochran called “Your Name is Volunteer” by Nancy Jo Grim.

Attendees also heard a mentee testimonial by Lauren Anderson who shared what it has been like to have a mentor in her life. Parent Katisha White gave her testimonial about having her children enrolled in the program and what it has meant to her daughters and family.

For nearly 10 years Mentor Me-North Georgia has been serving Forsyth County, and in that time more than 500 children have been mentored.

Through the support of the community and help from hundreds of volunteers, children enrolled in the program have been able to get the positive reinforcement they need to make good choices and stay far away from drugs, delinquency and teen pregnancy.

Cardona said the event was to pay tribute to those who have helped the organization over the years, contributed to the success of its programs and to those who volunteer their time and resources to aid the children.

Mentor Me, a United Way agency, established as a Leadership Forsyth Class Project in 2002. In 2008 the organization became Mentor Me-North Georgia.