Scenes from the MENTOR 25th Anniversary Celebration

On November 9, MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership (MENTOR) celebrated its 25th anniversary at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. Nearly 400 leaders and dedicated supporters of the youth mentoring movement gathered to celebrate a quarter century of milestones and achievements in the field while raising $2 million to support the organization’s worldwide programs. Bain Capital Senior Vice President and Global Head of Communications Ernesto Anguilla, who sits on MENTOR’s Board of Directors, represented the firm at the celebration. In addition, the Bain Capital Community Partnership (BCCP) served as a presenting sponsor at the landmark event.

Hosted by renowned journalist and philanthropist Soledad O’Brien, the event also honored MENTOR’s 25 Legends of Mentoring, an illustrious group of longtime youth mentoring supporters that includes General Colin Powell, his wife Alma, and Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell.

“Mentoring is all about giving real personal gifts,” said MENTOR co-founder Geoffrey T. Boisi in his remarks at the celebration. “Gifts of time…the mind…of the heart and soul.  These four gifts unleash the motivation of a young person to become the best that he can be.”

Founded in 1990 in response to the growing need for positive, committed adult relationships among at-risk youth, MENTOR has grown to serve 4.5 million young people around the globe. This year, the Bain Capital Children’s Charity (BCCC) included MENTOR in the nearly 100 philanthropic organizations that it supported through its annual donations.