Volunteerism subject of visit by AG Moore
Published 5:00 am Monday, April 15, 2002
Attorney General Mike Moore will visit Brookhaven Tuesday in aneffort to encourage Mississippians to get involved in theircommunities.
Moore will talk with business owners and residents at 10 a.m.,Tuesday, at Bank of Brookhaven about the importance of volunteeringtheir time.
“We look forward to receiving him and look forward to a bigturnout of volunteers,” said Chandler Russ, executive vicepresident of the Brookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce.
Moore’s visit is one of many planned for the Link-A-Life Touracross the state to recruit adults who can volunteer at least onehour a week on a community project or to help a child develop intoa responsible adult by becoming a mentor.
“Mentoring is a proven way to prevent young people from gettinginvolved in crime, raising self-esteem and enhancing educationallevels,” said Moore, who has been a mentor to the same student forfour years.
Moore will be joined in his effort by the Mississippi EconomicCouncil and Big Brothers-Big Sisters of Mississippi.
“The focus is on the importance of volunteerism, whether throughBig Brothers-Big Sisters or the chamber of commerce or anotherorganization,” said Russ. “It’s a way to give back.”
Moore hopes to double the number of school-based mentors inMississippi from 1,500 to 3,000 people this year.
The Brookhaven/Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce will beinvolved in the effort by encouraging people to be the first linksin the chain of volunteers across the state. The Link-A-Life tourstouts that “one life linked with another strengthens bothlives.”
Organizers are also calling on graduates of Mississippi EconomicCouncil’s Leadership Mississippi Program to help build a group ofmentors who would join students for lunch or help them with theirstudies.
Bill Sones, a Leadership Mississippi graduate, said he plans tobecome involved and is helping to start the program by hosting thekickoff event Tuesday.