Local Organization Seeking Volunteer Mentors

The non-profit organization Welcome To a New Life is seeking volunteer mentors to help people live productive, crime-free, drug-free lives.

Get more details in the full news release below.

Also, click here to read a success story of how the organization is helping a local woman turn her life around.

Welcome to a New Life is a nonprofit organization in the Findlay/Hancock County area with a mission to provide mentorship and resources for people who are involved in the Hancock County criminal justice system, helping these individuals live crime-free, drug-free, productive lives. The newly formed organization received its IRS charity status in June of 2019 and has been matching mentors to inmates and others since that time. To date, the organization has mentored 15 people, most of whom have made great strides in their lives and are continually improving their personal situations.

“Volunteer mentors are vital to our organization and are needed to help these individuals with their road to recovery and a second chance for a new life,” said Carla Benjamin, executive director. “We have been able to establish an online orientation so that new mentors can have an understanding of the resources in our community as well as the knowledge of how to encourage and coach these individuals who want to improve their lives.”

Both men and women are being sought for mentors. Mentors are asked to spend approximately one hour a week with their mentees to set goals, provide encouragement, and help with resources. These times together can be accomplished by phone call, video conference, or meeting in appropriate places that allow for social distancing. Training for mentors occurs through-out the year with the initial orientation being approximately two hours long. Volunteer mentors will need a background check, drug test, references, and the ability to use a web-based tool for note-taking from the weekly meetings with their mentee. The length of the mentor/mentee relationship can be anywhere from two months to a life-long relationship.

The organization was co-founded by Stan Kujawa and Harold “Puck” Rowe. They developed the program to help the individuals make changes in their lives while also addressing the overcrowding of the Hancock County jail.

To learn more about Welcome to a New Life, please contact Carla Benjamin at director@welcometoanewlife.org or by calling 419-455-6082.