History

MENTOR Vermont was originally founded in 2003 as Mobius, a regional mentoring umbrella agency in northwestern Vermont that provided support to mentoring programs by helping to expand mentoring opportunities, recruiting and supporting new volunteers, and raising awareness of the cause. From 2003 to 2012, Mobius and the mentoring programs it supported helped grow the number of mentor pairs in the region from 350 to more than 900.

In 2012, with the support of mentoring programs and funders, Mobius expanded into a statewide organization that supports youth mentoring in every corner of Vermont, and represents a unified voice for the cause. The Permanent Fund for Vermont’s Children and the A.D. Henderson Foundation were instrumental in Mobius’ statewide expansion, and along with the Vermont Department for Children and Families, have continued to provide more than $600,000 in annual funding for the Vermont Mentoring Grants.

In the fall of 2018, Mobius rebranded and changed its name to MENTOR Vermont, in order to better align with MENTOR National. This rebranding did not change our mission but will provide our organization with new opportunities and resources to help ensure more youth in Vermont can receive the benefits of having a caring, consistent adult mentor.

MENTOR Vermont  continues to provide technical support, advocacy, and funding for youth mentoring programs throughout the state of Vermont. MENTOR Vermont also leads ongoing efforts to raise public awareness of mentoring throughout the state, and offers a variety of other resources. For more information, visit the Our Work page.

In 2023, we celebrated three major milestones at MENTOR Vermont:

  • 10 years of our Executive Director’s leadership

  • 10 years since MENTOR Vermont expanded to become statewide

  • 20 years since the organization was founded in 2003

We started as a small organization with big dreams, then known as Mobius. Over the past two decades, we’ve grown to become Vermont’s leading voice for youth mentoring. As we reflect on a decade of Chad Butt’s visionary leadership and two decades of dedicated service to the Vermont youth mentoring field, we’re reminded of the incredible impact that can be made with hard work, passion, and collaboration.

With each passing year, we’ve seen our collective impact grow – thanks in no small part to the dedication and vision of our Executive Director, Chad Butt. As we celebrate his 10 years at the helm, we’re reminded of the incredible progress we’ve made and the challenges we’ve overcome. We are equally grateful for the dedication and service of Benji Thurber, who was instrumental in the expansion of MENTOR Vermont’s work over the last decade. With your help, we can make an even greater impact in the years to come, providing more young people with the support, guidance, and opportunities they need to reach their full potential.