MentorKids Stories & Updates
Press releases, MentorMoments, announcements, reflections, and real-life updates from across our Promise Neighborhoods.
Dollar General Literacy Foundation Awards Summer Reading Grant to MentorKids USA
MentorKids USA received a generous summer reading grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation in support of its no-cost Summer Enrichment Program. The funding will help provide literacy materials, educational resources, and reading-focused activities for more than 300 students across six Promise Neighborhoods, strengthening reading skills and supporting academic engagement during the summer months.
Phoenix, AZ – MentorKids USA is honored to announce it has received a generous grant from Dollar General Literacy Foundation in support of Summer Reading and our no-cost Summer Enrichment Program.
MentorKids USA’s Summer Enrichment Program (SEP) provides K–8 students in underserved communities with consistent literacy support, academic enrichment, and hands-on learning opportunities during critical out-of-school time. A core focus of the program is strengthening reading skills through daily reading activities, small-group literacy instruction, and engaging educational experiences. Through a safe, supportive environment, students build confidence, improve academic engagement, and develop the foundational skills needed for long-term success. Funding from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation supports these literacy efforts and helps ensure this programming is provided at no cost to families.
Currently serving students across six Promise Neighborhoods throughout the Valley, MentorKids USA’s Summer Enrichment Program will support more than 300 youth this summer through literacy enrichment, leadership development, STEAM activities, healthy living education, and relationship centered mentorship.
Support from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation will help provide literacy materials, educational resources and reading-focused activities that encourage students to strengthen their reading skills, remain academically engaged during the summer months, and build a lifelong love of learning.
About MentorKids USA
MentorKids USA is a faith-based nonprofit equipping K–12 students to become transformative leaders in their families and communities. Through six Promise Neighborhoods across the Phoenix area, MentorKids provides no-cost programs focused on academic excellence, spiritual growth, and leadership development. From elementary school through high school, students are surrounded by consistent relationships and opportunities to learn, lead, and invest in others—Building Leaders Who Build Leaders.
Media Contact
Jill Bailey
Development Director, MentorKids USA
480-767-6707 | [email protected]
July MentorMoments
Water fights, camp stores, splash pads, and butterfly landings—this summer was full of joy. But behind every laugh was something bigger: growth, confidence, and transformation. Watch the newest MentorMoments video, Kids Say the Smartest Things, and hear what students had to say about their favorite moments—and how their lives are being shaped through mentorship.
Happy Thursday,
It’s great to see kids having fun, isn’t it?
I witnessed the same thing at all 5 of our Summer Enrichment Program sites this summer: Kids having fun.
Palomino kids chased each other with water guns; Maryvale kids slid down water slides; Tempe kids eagerly shopped at the camp store using MentorKids “bucks” they earned; Paiute kids sang and danced at VBS; and South Phoenix kids dove on the floor during a version of “musical chairs” with no chairs (not a game for adults!!).
But, amidst all the fun this summer, there was something else happening: Lives were being changed.
Justice, from our Tempe Promise Neighborhood, has had a lot of ups and downs this past year. However, this summer something changed. In the words of our team member, “Justice came alive this summer.” Something clicked this summer to the point where, on the last day of summer camp, she said, “I really liked the Bible class because I learned about what to do and what not to do in the Bible.”
Briselle (1st grade), Katherine (1st grade), Ivan (kinder), and Diego (2nd grade) from our Palomino Promise Neighborhood had a life-changing experience in the pool this summer. At first, they were terrified of the pool. Even hearing the word “pool” would bring them to tears. However, by the end of summer, they were able to jump into the pool and swim on their own to the other side...without fear.
As you watch the short video and see some of the pictures from this summer, know that YOU were a part of impacting over 300 lives this summer. On behalf of the children and families we serve, thank you!!!
Until Next Time,
Aaron Parrott
Executive Director, MentorKids USA
Kids Say the Smartest Things — A Summer Snapshot
Filmed entirely by our own student leaders, this short video captures the joy, growth, and insight that bloom when young minds are nurtured through mentorship, academic support, and fun-filled enrichment programs.
In this special edition of MentorMoments, Executive Director Aaron Parrott sits down with students from our Tempe Promise Neighborhood to reflect on their favorite summer moments—making new friends, learning life lessons, going on unforgettable field trips, and creating memories that will last all year long.
Now in its second year of summer programming, the Tempe Promise Neighborhood—led by Neighborhood Manager Brittany Carrillo—continues to grow into a vibrant hub for connection, learning, and leadership development.
Watch the video—you’ll laugh, you’ll smile, and you’ll remember why this work matters.
Shop. Swipe. Support MentorKids.
We’re now part of Fry’s Community Rewards!
Every time you shop at Fry’s, you can help MentorKids earn quarterly donations at no extra cost to you. Just link your Fry’s Shopper’s Card to MentorKids USA (VD161) in the app or online.
It only takes a minute:
Open the Fry’s app
Tap the three lines (top right)
Select Rewards > Community Rewards
Choose “MentorKids USA” as your organization
Once it’s set, every grocery run helps us serve more kids across Phoenix. The more supporters who link their card, the more impact we can make, together.
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