News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
A majority of school systems in the Upper Cumberland are still in need of TN Promise mentors.
Ben Sterling is the Director of Outreach with TN Achieves. He said the organization is still on-track despite the increased urgency to reach its goal.
“This will be our fifth cohort of mentors statewide. So, we have got it down to, you could call it a science, but it’s not quite that. It is going as planned. I wouldn’t say we are behind or anything,” Sterling said. “But we still need 4,000 people statewide to meet our goal by Nov. 30. No real bumps in the road but certainly the urgency is starting to pick up as we get closer to that deadline.”
Mentors work on a volunteer basis to help high school seniors navigate the TN Promise requirements and college life.
Pickett County is the only county in the Upper Cumberland to have reached its mentor goal so far. Meanwhile, Putnam County lacks approximately 48 mentors and Warren County lacks about 34 mentors.
Sterling said TN Achieves uses a multi-faceted approach to recruiting mentors.
“We are currently open to any type of outreach methods when it comes to recruiting mentors. But overall when it comes to actual physical recruitment, we will visit communities, talk to local civic clubs, talk to alumni groups, employers,” Sterling said. “Really anywhere we can get a group of people with open ears we will certainly come and do a presentation.”
Tennessee Promise, a last-dollar scholarship program, requires each student to have contact with a mentor.
