California

State Farm Insurance and Teach For America launch “Meet My Teacher” partnership

On January 13, the Los Angeles Regional Headquarters of Teach For America hosted the “Meet My Teacher” kickoff reception, bringing together State Farm Insurance® agent mentors and Teach For America (known as “corps members”) mentees participating in this innovative new community mentorship program in the Greater Los Angeles area.

The goal of Meet My Teacher – a partnership between Teach For America and State Farm California – is to provide Los Angeles-area State Farm agents an opportunity to enrich the professional lives of second-year corps members with career guidance as these professionals move through the early years of their careers. At the same time, these mentees will help agents learn more about our public education system – its needs, its challenges, and the goal of keeping inner-city students motivated and excited about the learning process.

Eleven State Farm agents and one agency field executive are part of this January to June 2011 pilot program, mentoring 10 Teach For America corps members in Los Angeles public schools. State Farm mentors include Los Angeles-area State Farm Agents Richard Calderon, Michelle Gibson, Karla Green, Glenda Greene, William Hammonds, Rene Hawkins, Bryson Hill, Kassandra Hsieh, Sara Rodriguez, Virgil Sanders, Allyson Weber, and State Farm Agency Field Executive Devonne Edwards.

At the kick-off event, agents had a chance to get to know their mentees better as well as introduce themselves to their fellow mentor/mentee counterparts. It was a great opportunity for these newly-formed teams to share their ideas about the upcoming experience. As this pilot program continues through June, participants will receive monthly newsletters from the Meet My Teacher program team that highlight activities and best practices occurring within the program to generate ideas on how they can enhance their mentorship experience.

“I was really inspired by the palpable energy and enthusiasm of both the mentors and mentees during our kick-off event,” said Dana Gomez, director of corporate and foundation relations for Teach for America. “The pairs seemed really invested in what each of them would bring to the mentorship, and it was great to hear them share with each other what they know and value about the communities in which they work.”

“The Meet My Teacher program not only allows State Farm agents to provide counsel to the Teach For America teachers, but they also indirectly affect the lives of youth through their interaction with the students in the classroom,” said State Farm Public Affairs Specialist Samona Caldwell, who attended the reception with State Farm Public Affairs Assistant Manager Camille Garcia. “The energy within the group was amazing, and we look forward to this wonderful partnership.”