January is National Mentoring Month, a time to recognize the power of building relationships that support learning and help people reach their full potential. In January 2024, President Joseph Biden, Jr., released a proclamation declaring the importance of National Mentoring Month, noting, “For most young people, a bond or even a conversation with someone who believes in them can make a tremendous difference in their lives, exposing them to new goals, new ideas, and new ways of doing things.”
Impactful Benefits of Mentorship
The benefits of being mentored have a long-lasting impact well into adulthood. According to MENTOR, a champion for the mentoring movement, adults who had mentor relationships as youth report:
- Their mentor contributed significantly to their success in life (74%)
- This key relationship has helped them with issues related to education (69%)
- Their mentor has supported their mental health (58%)
Strong Relationships Open Doors for Women and Girls
Especially for women and girls, a strong relationship with a mentor can inspire them to dream big, overcome obstacles, and achieve their greatest potential. The Women’s Foundation of Boston, whose mission is to economically empower women and girls, understands the positive outcomes of mentoring and supports organizations that share this purpose. WFBoston grantee partners Big Sister Association of Greater Boston and Strong Women, Strong Girls both focus on mentorship as a way to change perspectives and open doors.
Big Sister Boston Mentor Matches To Navigate Life Journeys
Big Sister Association of Greater Boston ignites girls’ passion and power to succeed through positive mentoring relationships with women and enrichment programs that support girls’ healthy development. Big Sister Boston has received multiple grants over the years from WFBoston, the most recent gift being a three-year grant to support Big for a Day, a program that lets girls waiting for a permanent big sister match engage in an enrichment activity in the areas of health & fitness, STEM, civic engagement, career & education, and the arts, hosted by local organizations. This program serves to bring in new volunteers, spark corporate interest, and increase the number of girls served by the organization.
Strong Women, Strong Girls Champions Potential
Grantee partner Strong Women, Strong Girls Boston (SWSG) champions the aspirations and potential of girls and women by connecting three generations through mentorship. Female college mentors meet weekly with girls in grades three through five, and, in turn, those college mentors are then connected to professional women to help guide them as leaders. WFBoston is currently funding two multi-year grants for SWSG. The first, a 2021 three-year gift, is funding the salary for a Program Engagement Coordinator, tasked with increasing the number of mentoring program sites, expanding capacity for mentor training, implementing program improvements, and ensuring the sustainability of the overall program. The second grant supports the expansion of the curriculum to the Gateway Cities north of Boston, where there is a crucial need.
Donate Today to Empower Women and Girls To Reach Their Full Potential
We know that mentorship offers life-changing outcomes for women and girls. Organizations like Big Sister Boston and Strong Women, Strong Girls Boston, are role models for success with these types of initiatives. But they can’t do the hard work they’re doing with support from outside partners like the Women’s Foundation of Boston. A donation to WFBoston is an investment in the future of women and girls who thrive with the compassion and knowledge a mentor provides. Make 2024 the year that you make a difference in someone’s life. Donate to the Women’s Foundation of Boston today!
Laurie H. Glimcher, MD, was named President and CEO of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in 2016. She is also Director of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and the Richard and Susan Smith Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Previously, she was the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean and Professor of Medicine of Weill Cornell Medicine and Provost for Medical Affairs of Cornell University. Dr. Glimcher is a distinguished immunologist, widely renowned for her work in one of the most promising areas of cancer research.
Linda Henry is the CEO of the Boston Globe Media Partners. She is a co-founder of HUBweek, a civic collaboration between the Boston Globe, Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital, and MIT that explores the future being built at the intersection of art, science and technology. Linda is also an early-stage impact investor, an Emmy-Award winning television producer with two shows currently airing, and a community activist. She serves as a director of the Red Sox Foundation, is a trustee of the Liverpool Football Club Foundation, chair of the Boston Globe Foundation, and chairman of the John W. Henry Family Foundation. In addition, she is a founder of the Boston Public Market, serves on the advisory board of MassChallenge, and is on the board of the Engine at MIT. She earned a BS from Babson College and her MS from MIT.
Bekah Salwasser joined the Red Sox Foundation as the Executive Director in January of 2018. She earned her B.A. in Psychology from Brown University and has extensive experience in philanthropy and both professional and semi-professional sports. After four years working as Community Relations Director for the Boston Celtics, Bekah went on to lead Scholar Athletes as its Executive Director, a program that supports public high school athletes with both their athletic and academic achievements. Earlier in her career, Bekah served as a professional soccer player for the Boston Breakers and as Executive Director of the Charlestown Lacrosse and Learning Center.
Kimberly Fay Boucher is a business executive who has driven high performance organizations in technology, consumer products and social enterprise/nonprofit industries over the past 25 years. She is currently the Technology Commercialization Business Leader for the CTO at Analog Devices, where she is responsible for driving new technologies from incubation stages to successful businesses. Kim is also a Senior Lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management, where she teaches Disciplined Entrepreneurship in the Martin Trust Center. She holds a BS in Management Industrial Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She is a NCAA Academic All-American Women’s Basketball player and has been inducted into the WPI Hall of Fame.
Ami Kuan Danoff (Co-Founder and CFO) is a private investor and the trustee of a foundation. She is a Harvard Quantum Founder and a member of the Harvard FAS Dean’s Council. Ami earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University in Visual and Environmental Studies and holds a dual master’s degree in Applied Economics and International Finance from the Sloan School of Management at MIT. She was a portfolio manager in global equities at Putnam Investments and co-manager of the Putnam International New Opportunities Fund, and also worked as an international equities analyst at Fidelity Investments.
Christina Heenan Suh holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania in English and Marketing and a master’s from Columbia University. A former management consultant, her work focused on strategy and implementation projects for Fortune 100 clients. She was also an account executive at Hill+Knowlton (WPP) marketing consumer packaged goods. As an Executive Board Member of the Brookline Education Foundation, which funds professional development in the Brookline Public Schools, Christina led their Grant and Oversight Committees. She currently sits on the board of the Brookline Library Foundation and teaches ESL at Rosie’s Place in Boston.
Christina Gordon (Co-Founder and CEO) holds a dual master’s degree in International Finance and Applied Economics from MIT’s Sloan School of Management. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Boston University and also studied for a joint master’s degree in Women’s Studies and Sociology at Brandeis with a focus on women in the workplace. Christina is a former assistant fund manager and technology industry equity analyst at Wellington Management. She also worked as a stock analyst at Fidelity Investments. She is a trustee of a private foundation, a member of Women Moving Millions and currently sits on the board of Rosie’s Place, a sanctuary for poor and homeless women in Boston.