Business and community leaders to assist Kansas Mentors
Sebelius and Snyder announce members of Kansas Mentors Leadership Council

Saying cooperation between businesses, communities and mentoring efforts is key to improving the lives of children throughout the state, Governor Kathleen Sebelius and Coach Bill Snyder today announced the membership of the Kansas Mentors Leadership Council and the availability of the first phase of state grants to support mentoring opportunities in Kansas.

The council is composed of executives and leaders in the public and private sectors who have proven to be influential members of their communities.  These individuals will champion mentoring efforts through promotional activities and development of partnerships within their organizations, as well as encouraging other employers to form mentoring partnerships. 

“Coach Snyder and I know there are many Kansas children waiting for a mentor, and so we’ve enlisted the help of these talented individuals to promote mentoring opportunities throughout our state,” Sebelius said. “Research has shown that people who work are the most likely to be willing to serve as mentors, so by working with employers we can find ways to encourage more Kansans to become mentors.”

Coach Snyder will chair the council, which will serve as the board of directors for Kansas Mentors.  During its first meeting, planned for sometime in October, the council will begin to determine how state grants could be spent to best serve mentoring efforts and receive an update on Federal grants being used for mentoring in Kansas.

“The leadership these individuals have shown in their fields and their communities will be very beneficial to the Kansas Mentors’ mission, to give every young person in the state access to a caring quality adult mentor,” Snyder said.

            Leadership Council Members include:

• Dick Bond, Overland Park, Consultant Midwest Trust. Bond previously served as President of the Kansas Senate and Chairman of the Kansas Board of Regents;
• Kimberly Edmunds, Wichita, Vice President and Regional Manager, Cox Kansas Operations;
• Bill Hanna, Wichita, former President and Vice Chairman of the board, Koch Industries;
• Joyce Hayhow, Kansas City, Publisher, Kansas City Business Journal;
• Lloyd Hill, Stilwell, Chairman of the Board, Applebee’s International;
• John Moore, Wichita, Lieutenant Governor and former Executive Vice President, Cessna;
• John D. Montgomery, Hutchinson, Editor and Publisher, Hutchinson News;
• Joe Reardon, Kansas City, Mayor, Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas;
• William Thornton, Atchison, Vice President of Quality Management, MGP Ingredients, Inc., and Chairman of the Kansas Chamber of Commerce.

“I’m confident that Coach Snyder and the Kansas Leadership Council will make sure these grants provide the most-beneficial services to mentoring efforts in Kansas that will help our children,” Sebelius said.

Governor Sebelius included state financial support for additional mentoring opportunities for Kansas children in her 2006 budget.  Applications for these grants are now available online at http://www.ksmentors.ks.gov/news.htm.  The first phase of these grants will be focused on providing regional training opportunities for strengthening mentoring organizations throughout Kansas, conducting a state wide mentoring needs assessment, and administering a conference to discuss current mentoring issues at the state and national levels.  

Recommendation for how to allocate these funds will be made by the Kansas Mentors Leadership Council. 

The first meeting of this Council is planned for October and once the date and location are confirmed, it will be released.

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