Group seeks mentors for children of 9/11 victims
MIDDLETOWN
BY JAMIE ROMM Staff Writer
Tuesday's Children, a nonprofit that provides mentors to children who lost loved ones in the 9/11 attacks, is looking for volunteers in the Middletown area.

The group says there are currently a few families in the area who are looking to provide their children with a mentor to be a positive role model in the children's lives.

The organization, which began in 2003, started as a program that helped families in the New York City area. In 2005, the group realized that there were children in other areas needing the same help.

"We started off as a site-based program in New York City but then realized that there were kids in the tristate area affected as well," said Jennifer Betancourt Aparicio, director of mentoring. "We are now a community-based program working in Long Island, New Jersey, Connecticut and other areas."

Aparicio said mentors should be good listeners, trustworthy and have a love for children. All mentors must go through a thorough screening process, interviews, and have their driving records checked. Mentors must be over the age of 18, and Aparicio said that the majority are between the ages of 23-55. The people that sign up are from a wide range of jobs," Aparicio said. "From lawyers to teachers to people in finance, all we are looking for are people who are willing to make time in their life for this commitment."

Aparicio said that in Middletown they are especially looking for male mentors, as the majority of the children are boys. The mentors are required to see the child twice a month for two to three hours at a time. Some activities include simply playing basketball on the child's driveway or helping with their homework.

Tuesday's Children also offers quarterly group sessions where mentors and the children might take a trip to a New York Mets game, a Broadway show or the circus.

"Just spending time with these kids makes a ton of difference," Aparicio said.

Anyone interested in becoming a mentor is asked to call Danielle Cooperhouse, mentoring coordinator of Tuesday's Children, at (212) 319-3988. To make a donation to the organization, call (516) 562-9000.