Mentor Iowa

Mission: To provide trained volunteer mentors to at-risk children in need of a positive adult role model.

Mentor Iowa was founded in 1974 by Polk County Juvenile Court Judge Donald Tidrick, interested court personnel and concerned citizens.  Judge Tidrick had attended a seminar in Royal Oak, Michigan on a program called Volunteers in Probation (VIP).  The program addressed the issue of the increasing numbers of juveniles in the court system.  With similar situations in Polk County, Judge Tidrick and his committee created a non-profit organization to help meet the needs of Children in Need of Assistance (CINA). Mentor Iowa continues to grow and be recognized within the community as a leading mentoring organization for court-involved children in central Iowa and identified students from local school districts.  Mentor Iowa remains committed to helping the “fall through the crack” children in central Iowa.

Mentor Iowa recruits screens trains and matches volunteer mentors to work with youth who are referred to our program through the Juvenile Justice System and local school districts. Our one-to-one child/mentor pairs are encouraged to meet on a weekly basis. The program offers group activities once every month for both matched children and children waiting for a match.