MENTOR Nebraska, a nonprofit that advocates for youth mentoring and provides support services to mentoring programs throughout Nebraska, has awarded UNMC with its 2020 Business of the Year Award.
The award, which honors a business committed to helping young people achieve their potential through mentoring, was to be presented at MENTOR Nebraska’s 10th Annual Mentoring Luncheon on April 1, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic the award was announced via social media.
UNMC has a strong record of mentoring. More than 50 UNMC employees currently mentor young people through MENTOR Nebraska’s partner mentoring programs. UNMC has supported MENTOR Nebraska and its partner mentoring programs through the Corporate Mentoring Challenge, as well as by hosting mentor recruitment events, recognizing employees who mentor, and sponsoring mentoring programs financially. In addition, UNMC’s College of Public Health played a crucial role in evaluating the societal benefits of mentoring in the Omaha community. A study led by Dr. Fernando Wilson helped show that for every dollar invested in mentoring, a community gets an $8 return on investment.
“As we deal with the challenges of this viral pandemic that has affected the world, mentoring has become even more important,” said UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D. “We need to consider every day, every phone call, every email, and every communication we have as an opportunity to mentor others and to reinforce the things that are really important — our mission, values and beliefs. This is a time of urgency for mentoring.”