National Mentoring Month, 2014

Proclamation 9073 of December 31, 2013

National Mentoring Month, 2014

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

In every corner of our Nation, mentors push our next
generation to shape their ambitions, set a positive
course, and achieve their boundless potential. During
National Mentoring Month, we celebrate everyone who
teaches, inspires, and guides young Americans as they
reach for their dreams.

Mentors help children build confidence, gain knowledge,
and develop the strength of character to succeed inside
and outside of the classroom. They are relatives,
teachers, coaches, ministers, and neighbors. Anyone can
be a mentor, and every child should have the chance to
be a mentee. Young people with mentors have better
attendance in school, higher self-esteem, a greater
chance of pursuing higher education, and a reduced risk
of substance abuse. That is why my Administration is
creating new opportunities to give back--from expanding
national service, promoting responsible fatherhood, and
challenging businesses to grow their mentoring
activities, to First Lady Michelle Obama's mentoring
initiative, which pairs local high school girls with
powerful role models. For more information on how to
get involved in a mentoring program, visit
www.Serve.gov/Mentor.

America is at its best when we lift each other up, when
we pursue our individual goals while never forgetting
that we are bound as one Nation and as one people. If
we carry this spirit forward, if we take responsibility
for our future leaders and give them the tools to
succeed, America's best days will always lie ahead.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim January 2014 as
National Mentoring Month. I call upon public officials,
business and community leaders, educators, and
Americans across the country to observe this month with
appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
thirty-first day of December, in the year of our Lord
two thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
eighth.