Oklahoma Coaches' Mentoring Challenge 

August 1 - November 30, 2014

OSU and OU head football coaches Mike Gundy and Bob Stoops are encouraging Oklahomans to accept the Coaches' Mentoring Challenge and mentor youth in their communities.

The Coaches’ Mentoring Challenge is a collective effort by leading athletic coaches to connect more caring adults and young people through quality mentoring relationships. Right now, one out of every three young people will grow up without the support of a mentor.

This year, 15 current and retired coaches from the Big 12 and Big Ten, as well as coaches from colleges and high schools across the country are challenging their fans to join the team and be a mentor! Since 2008, college coaches at an increasing number of institutions have demonstrated their commitment to closing the mentoring gap. Their goal this year is to sign up 15,000 new mentors. The challenge is a friendly competition between participating states and takes place from Aug. 1 through Nov. 30.

Kicking off this year, Oklahoma’s Coaches' Mentoring Challenge is being coordinated by the Boren Mentoring Initiative, a program of the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence. To help build grassroots support for the effort, the Boren Mentoring Initiative is reaching out to high school and college football coaches as well as mentoring programs throughout Oklahoma to help promote the campaign and recruit more mentors.

If you are interested in registering your mentoring program as a participant or learning about starting a new mentoring program in your community, contact Beverly Woodrome at (405) 236-0006 or email bwoodrome@ofe.org.