Our History
Mad River Mentoring (MRM) was founded in 2022 by a dedicated advisory board to address mentoring needs in the rural Mad River Valley. Since then, MRM has grown from an idea shared by a group of caring and dedicated individuals to a fully operational mentoring program serving the communities of the Harwood Union School District. MRM is coordinated by a Program Manager and the advisory board continues to provide oversight and support. We operate under the umbrella of Open Hearth, a 501(c)3 organization that serves as our fiscal agent.
Our program provides the opportunity for young people to develop one-to-one connections with adults in our community and cultivate supportive relationships. Adult volunteers and young people are carefully matched based on interests and hobbies. Mentoring pairs spend three to four hours per month together engaging in activities like swimming, walking, hiking, kayaking, playing board games, cooking, getting a creemee, and just hanging out. Pairs commit to the program for at least one year. Adult and youth participants engage in an application process as well as training and receive ongoing support throughout their time in the program. We collaborate with parents/guardians, schools, and other organizations, to ensure all interested youth have access to high-quality mentoring opportunities.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
We stand with MENTOR Vermont and the Vermont mentoring field in our commitment to fostering an inclusive and diverse environment for all. We embrace our differences and celebrate our common humanity in advancing awareness of the need for equity and the transformative power of supportive relationships for young people. In an increasingly multicultural and diverse society, we value all perspectives, experiences, and opinions as central assets in our vision of every young person in our communities having supportive mentoring relationships to grow and thrive.
We welcome mentors and youth from all backgrounds regardless of class, culture, race, religion, ability, sexual orientation or gender identity. Mad River Mentoring does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs and activities.