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Volunteer USA, which manages the program, joined the students along with national program sponsor Comcast, as well as others supporters including State Farm, Senator Steve Wise, School Superintendent Ed Pratt-Dannals and City Council member Glorious Johnson. Comcast vice-president Tim Gage was on hand to present a donation as the national sponsor of the Teen Trendsetters programs. Comcast is the lead national sponsor with $250,000 in cash and $2-million in donated television airtime to support mentoring and literacy efforts.

“Comcast is proud to be a committed year-round partner in the very successful Teen Trendsetters volunteer movement. It has been recognized as one of the best youth mentoring programs in the South with its focus on both improved reading and youth leadership skills” said Tim Gage, Comcast, vice-president for state government affairs. “This award reaffirms our commitment to literacy and to our country’s children who benefit academically and socially by having strong role models.”

Recent research published by Child Trends found that youth who participate in mentoring relationships experience a number of positive benefits. According the study mentored youth have better attendance; a better chance of going on to higher education; better attitudes towards school; and appear more likely to stay away from substance abuse and reduce some negative youth behaviors.

As part of today’s Mentoring Month Celebration, which coincides with Florida’s Celebrate Literacy Week, Volunteer USA announced the latest mentoring numbers for Florida. Ten years ago, the statewide Mentoring Initiative was launched by then-Governor Jeb Bush to help students excel in school and life by recruiting compassionate adults to become their mentors. According to the latest study, after 10 years of promoting mentoring through the Florida Mentoring Partnership, we now have nearly 202,000 mentors matched with Florida’s children. In 2000-2001 there were only 22,497 mentors were mentoring youth in the state.

“We are thrilled so many of Florida’s students continue to benefit from the wisdom and concern of caring adults,” said Liza McFadden, Volunteer USA president. “Each year, our mentor numbers increase – that’s a tribute to this hugely successful initiative and the recognition that the nurturing experiences created in mentoring relationships really make a difference.”

Jacksonville’s first Teen Trendsetters programs were launched this school year at four area high schools including Frank H. Peterson Academies of Technology, Nathan Forrest High, Jean Ribault High and Terry Parker High School. The teens are paired with 2^nd or 3^rd graders from Gregory Drive, Oak Hill, Parkwood and St. Clair Evans Elementary Schools. The students spend an hour a week together enjoying reading activities and getting excited about learning.

The reading buddies are starting the year learning about “endangered animals”. To get them excited about the latest reading series, students were treated to special guests today, courtesy of the Jacksonville Zoo.

National Mentoring Month (NMM) was created in 2002 to bring awareness to the need for more mentors, caring adults who can positively influence the futures of young people. According to its website, NMM celebrates mentoring and the positive effect it can have on young lives.

Currently, there are more than 2700 students participating in Teen Trendsetters programs. Results show the program is providing rewards to both Florida’s high school and elementary students.

· 89% of Teen Trendsetters™ seniors report they have been accepted to attend college and most plan to continue making a difference as a volunteer

· 72% of Florida Teen Trendsetters™ mentors report earning a state-funded college scholarship compared to 39% of their peers

· We provide up to 25 take-home books for the struggling second and third-grade readers to keep and read at home with their parents

· Teen Trendsetters is one of the most cost-effective one-on-one youth mentoring programs in the country

Based on its success in Florida, high schools in 10 other southern states including Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia now have their own Teen Trendsetters™ programs.

This grant to Volunteer USA from the Comcast Foundation is in recognition of Comcast’s commitment to the communities where its customers and employees live and work. Since its founding in 1999, the Comcast Foundation has distributed more than $65-million in cash support of programs implemented locally in Comcast communities.

About Comcast Corporation: Comcast Corporation (www.comcast.com) is one of the nation's leading providers of entertainment, information and communication products and services. With 23.8 million cable customers, 15.7 million high-speed Internet customers, and 7.4 million Comcast Digital Voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of cable systems and in the delivery of programming content.

Comcast's content networks and investments include E! Entertainment Television, Style Network, Golf Channel, VERSUS, G4, PBS KIDS Sprout, TV One, 11 regional sports networks operated by Comcast Sports Group and Comcast Interactive Media, which develops and operates Comcast's Internet businesses, including Comcast.net (www.Comcast.net). Comcast also has a majority ownership in Comcast-Spectacor, which owns two professional sports teams, the Philadelphia 76ers NBA basketball team and the Philadelphia Flyers NHL hockey team, and a large, multipurpose arena in Philadelphia, the Wachovia Center, and manages other facilities for sporting events, concerts and other events.