About Us

Mentoring Tucson's Kids has been matching caring adults with at-risk youth since 1997. We are a faith-based organization working to provide our kids facing tough life challenges a positive future and a strong sense of hope through our 1-to-1 mentoring program.

Mentors are matched with youth for a minimum of one year, spending an hour or more per week together. Mentors and mentees develop a relationship with each other by spending time doing the things together that they enjoy most.

Mentoring Tucson's Kids exists to locate, train, and support mentors to be the presence of Christ to kids facing tough life challenges.

Youth participating in our mentoring relationships experience positive academic results, reduced negative youth behaviors, and positive social attitudes and relationships.

In 1995, Don McNeill, the founder and director of Mentoring Tucson’s Kids and One on One Mentoring, felt strongly led to give his life to helping Tucson’s kids.

He began as a coach and teacher, but later realized that more needed to be done to help kids who were struggling in life and needed a fresh and positive adult voice to speak into their lives – mentors. Don has consistently had the vision of matching healthy adults from the community with kids who had only one or maybe even no adult in his or her home.

Running on a thin budget, Don has maximized each dollar donated to this outreach to touch as many lives as possible. Don is considered by many as the ''Dean of Mentoring'' in Tucson.

Today, Mary McGuire is following in Don's path to lead the organization.