Logo for Moore Buddies Mentoring featuring a stylized human figure with three blue circles containing icons of a graduation cap, books, and a group of children, with the name "Moore Buddies Mentoring" next to the graphic.

Our Mission

To champion successful youth through mentoring and empowering families.

Our Vision

To have a community in which families are thriving and youth have promising futures.

Their Future

Success in school and thriving in life because of the support and encouragement from their mentors.

OUR PROGRAMS

  • Community Mentoring

    Our Community Mentoring Program is dedicated to the youth in Moore County who are at risk of not reaching their full potential due to a variety of factors. Youth who are in need of a positive adult role model, close monitoring of school, home and community behavior, as well as opportunities to learn social, recreational, vocational, and educational skills can benefit from our program. The Community Mentoring Program matches adult volunteers who are willing to give their time, energy, and compassion to a Moore County youth for one year. Goals for the program include:

    building self-esteem and confidence

    goal setting

    encouraging students to be academically successful

    Two women standing indoors, smiling at the camera, with a table and chairs nearby, and shelves with toys and colorful plastic items in the background.

  • In-School Mentoring

    Our In-School Mentoring Program is currently being offered to students at Southern Middle School and Southern Primary in Aberdeen, North Carolina. We have also expanded to Crain's Creek Middle School and West Pine Middle. This program has greatly impacted the individual students and the school as a whole. Students who are involved in this mentoring program:

    explore careers

    get academic assistance

    complete community service projects

    take educational field trips

    attend summer camps

    participate in community events

    A young student and an adult male, likely a teacher or staff member, smiling at the camera in a school cafeteria. The student makes a peace sign with their hand. Other students are seen in the background sitting at tables.

  • RISE Program - Intensive Intervention Services

    The RISE program is a newly established initiative designed to serve young people referred from Juvenile Court who need the encouragement, support, and guidance of a dedicated mentor.

    Through this program, we provide specially trained, professional mentors who work one-on-one with youth aged 11-18, helping them transition back into the community after release from a detention center. These mentors are paid professionals, equipped to support each youth as they focus on specific, targeted behaviors and personal goals. The program is currently available in Moore, Montgomery, and Randolph counties, sponsored by the local Juvenile Crime Prevention Council through the state of North Carolina.

    Research shows that mentoring is the most effective way to deter deviant behavior, which is why many mentoring programs across the U.S. receive funding from juvenile justice departments. Our aim is to help these young individuals understand the root causes of their risky behavior and to empower them to make better life choices. By working on social and emotional skills and committing to regular school attendance, each youth develops a personalized behavior contract with their mentor, setting specific, individualized goals that reflect their unique needs and challenges.

    A man and a boy taking a selfie outside a hair salon, with signs for open hours visible on the door.

  • School Suspension Diversion Program

    The School Suspension Diversion Program allows the schools that are participating in the program to refer a student to us instead of sending them home for a suspension. We will help the student to stay current in their school work with individualized assistance, have lunch, work on social skills and return to school current in their work and with new skills to do better in school.

    The current participating schools:

    Crain’s Creek Middle School

    Southern Middle School

    People working on laptops, with close-up on hands typing on a white keyboard.

WITH A MENTOR, AT RISK YOUTH ARE:

Illustration of a school building with a red roof, beige walls, blue doors, windows, a clock above the entrance, and a blue flag on top.

52%

less likely than their peers to skip a day of school.

A red and white prohibition sign with the word 'DRUGS' crossed out.

46%

less likely than their peers to start using drugs.

Black graduation cap with a red tassel.

55%

more likely to enroll in college.

Meet Our Mentoring Team

Get Involved!

  • A young boy and an older man sitting at a table in a classroom, smiling. The boy is holding a pack of snacks, and there is a sheet of paper and a pencil on the table. Behind them, a whiteboard and a bulletin board with writing are visible.

    Become a Mentor

    Do you have one hour a week to volunteer to help change a child’s life? Learn how you can be a mentor for our at-risk youth in Moore County. Contact our Mentoring Coordinator today by calling our office at 910-692-5954 or emailing.

    Contact our Mentoring Coordinator
  • Illustration of two hands holding a heart with a puzzle piece inside and the word 'DONATE' underneath.

    Donate

    Your donation supports our mentoring programs and allows us to offer our services free of charge. Whether monetary or in-kind, every little bit helps change a child's life in Moore County. You can view our Staples wishlist to help keep our kids on track with their education.

    See Our Wishlist
A boy and an older man standing side by side at a playground, holding onto red gymnastic rings overhead.

Check out Bobby and Isaiah’s Story

A young man in a striped shirt with two older adults, a woman in a floral dress and a man in a white shirt and yellow striped tie, standing in front of a black backdrop with white confetti and balloons, celebrating a graduation class of 2024.

Meet Maren and her mentee, Najiyya. Najiyya is going to NC State on an academic scholarship. This is the two of them at her high school graduation and moving her into her dorm before the start of school. They have been together since Najiyya was in middle school.

Side-by-side photos of two young women, one celebrating a graduation outdoors, the other sitting indoors with one wearing a gray beanie and the other in a yellow T-shirt.