Thirteen Youth Guidance kids who are not matched with mentors were the happy guests of Sunrise Rotary at the Club's annual July 12 Boating and Fishing Day at Riverside Park in Vero Beach. Five volunteer cooks prepared a cookout feast of hot dogs and hamburgers for the anglers. Paul Dritenbas and George Schroeder, Terry Rauth and her husband Gene, Paul Newman and Captain Brian Carmen, Reverend Captain Jack Diehl and Dr. Rick Root, Phil Tasker and Dr. Ralph Rosato, Past Rotary District Governor Larry Labadie and Barbara Schlitt Ford, and David Milton and Laille Fairburn were the captains of the boats. Arthur Hodge is president of the Rotarians, who are one of the Gold Sponsors of the Youth Guidance Volunteer Program.
Youth Guidance serves 700 at-risk Indian River County children in grades K-12. One of its major purposes is to match each child in the program with a mentor, an adult volunteer who meets with the child on a regular basis. The agency also provides one-time activities and outings, such as this Boating and Fishing Day adventure, for the more than 500 children who are waiting for a mentor. Opportunities for volunteers to participate with these "unmatched" children in one or more of these special events occur frequently throughout the year.