Ernst & Young: Big donation to MENTOR’s youth programs

By Rob Starr, Content Manager, Big4.com

Ernst & Young LLP celebrated its commitment to youth mentoring by donating $100,000 to MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership and sponsoring MENTOR’s Champions Golf Challenge for the second year in a row. Beyond the firm’s financial support of MENTOR, Nancy Altobello has served on the organization’s board of directors since 2012 and previously served on the board of Massachusetts Mentoring Partnership for nine years. Thousands of Ernst & Young LLP people currently volunteer as mentors through the firm’s relationships with not-for-profits and through local schools and community based-organizations, as well as the firm’s signature volunteer program College MAP (Mentoring for Access and Persistence).

One hundred percent of Ernst & Young LLP’s donation will benefit MENTOR, the leading champion for youth mentoring in the United States. The tournament is co-hosted by Celtics legend Bill Russell and features the MENTOR Celebrity Roast hosted by the Golf Channel’s David Feherty and actor/philanthropist Samuel L Jackson. The dinner program included commentary from Ernst & Young LLP’s Vice Chair of People, Altobello, and the presentation of the firm’s Mentor of the Year, Nicole Griffith.

Ernst & Young LLP’s Nicole Griffith was the only mentor honored by a sponsor at the event. Griffith, a lead recruiter for the Financial Services Office, has mentored New York City high school students since 2001 through iMentor, but her commitment to mentoring extends back to her days as a college student at Cornell. Whether she is helping new members of her team at Ernst & Young LLP adapt to life at the firm, reaching out to minority high school students through the Cornell Alumni Ambassador Network, or helping her mentees become college ready, Griffith believes that creating a strong personal connection is one of the ways she can make a difference.