TRUCKEE, Calif. — On Jan. 4, 2011, President Barack Obama declared January would be designated as National Mentoring Month — a time to reflect on the tremendous impact mentors have on the lives of our nation's youth every day.

According to the presidential proclamation, “Every day, mentors in communities across our Nation provide crucial support and guidance to young people. Whether a day is spent helping with homework, playing catch, or just listening, these moments can have an enormous, lasting effect on a child's life. During National Mentoring Month, we recognize those who give generously of themselves by mentoring young Americans.”

Last year, 249 local children got to experience the positive influence of a caring mentor because of the mentors, staff and volunteers of our own local mentoring agency, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Nevada County & North Lake Tahoe.

Big Brothers Big Sisters would like to extend a big ‘Thank You' to all the volunteers who give of their time, and donors who support our organization financially, both of whom are vital to the continued success of ensuring that every child who wants or needs a mentor in the Truckee-Tahoe region can find one.

For more information on President Obama's proclamation, please visit www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/presidential-proclamation-national-mentoring-month. And for more information on how you can become a mentor to a child in need, please logon to www.bigsofnc.org.

About BBBS

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Nevada County and North Lake Tahoe (BBBSNC) is a chapter of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, a national non-profit agency dedicated to creating a volunteer base where every at-risk child and youth who needs and wants a mentor can be matched with a Big Brother or Big Sister. BBBSNC serves children in all of Nevada County including Truckee, as well as the North Lake Tahoe communities of Kings Beach and Tahoe City. For more information, visit www.bigsofnc.org.