Hand and Hand, Inc./VA Mentoring Coalition

Hand and Hand, Inc. - Our mission is to enhance and expand the organizational capacity of faith-based and community based organizations through the provision of supportive services and technical assistance. VA Mentoring Coalition is our newest initiative. We serve to provide support and encouragement through mentoring to at-risk youth ages 4 y 18 years old. Our target populations are adjudicated youth, youth who have one or both parents incarcerated, whose parents are ex-offenders, or who live in a neighborhood with higher than average rates of incarceration. VAMC recruits program participants by developing collaborative partnerships with community and faith-based organizations, the juvenile justice system, governmental agencies and educational systems. VAMC trains, screens and provides support for volunteer mentors to be matched with a youth.