Tennessee Promise still needs 3,000 mentors by Nov. 20

More than 100 people are signing up every day to become Tennessee Promise mentors, but officials say recruits need to come in faster for the state to hit its goal by the Nov. 20 deadline.

About 6,100 mentors had volunteered to work with the next class of Tennessee Promise students by Thursday morning, leaving the state with 3,000 to go in three weeks. To get there, a team of recruiters is crossing the state for a blitz of events and speeches.

This week, Graham Thomas led recruitment events for four big-time employers across the state, including Eastman Chemical Co. in Kingsport, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee and Unum in Chattanooga. Thomas, the director of community partnerships for tnAchieves, the nonprofit that recruits and trains most Tennessee Promise mentors, stopped in Nashville on Thursday to speak with employees at AT&T Tennessee.

Mentors are "what allows this program to work," Thomas told a group of about 30 employees. "It's what allows us to do this at a state level."

Gov. Bill Haslam has said more mentors could be a key to the success of the scholarship program's second year, providing added support for students who want to go to community or technical college tuition-free.

Joelle Phillips, president of AT&T Tennessee, is a Tennessee Promise mentor; she sends emails encouraging her employees to participate as well. Daniel Hayes, the company's director of public affairs, said encouraging the volunteering opportunity "fits completely with our company culture."

Officials tweak plans for TN Promise mentors

Thomas said the next three weeks would be a mad dash to close the mentor gap. He planned to do another round of business visits, but he said he'd also reach out to civic groups and other organizations.

"Anyone that wants to listen to us, we'll talk to them," he said.

Davidson County has reached its local recruitment goal, although Thomas said mentors could still sign up there. But the need for mentors is especially strong in a handful of Tennessee counties, including some surrounding Nashville.

Williamson, Rutherford and Montgomery counties all need more than 100 mentors apiece.

And Shelby County, which includes Memphis, accounts for about a third of the state's gap, according to Thomas. The county still needs almost 1,000 mentors to reach its goal.

To volunteer, mentors need to be 21, must pass a background check and must attend a one-hour training session. Mentors should plan to spend about one hour a month working with five to 10 students, starting in March.

Reach Adam Tamburin at 615-726-5986 and on Twitter @tamburintweets.

Tennessee Promise 4,000 mentors short of goal

Learn more

For more information on mentoring, and how to apply, visit www.tnachieves.org/a-mentor.

Progress by county

Cheatham: 35 mentors short

Davidson: Goal exceeded

Dickson: 23 mentors short

Montgomery: 150 mentors short

Robertson: 26 mentors short

Rutherford: 183 mentors short

Sumner: Goal exceeded

Williamson: 231 mentors short

Wilson: 33 mentors short

Note: Numbers as of Thursday morning