About
Mission
The mission of iC.A.R.E. Mentoring® is to impact mentors and mentees to foster relationships that cultivate mutual development and empowerment of youth.
Vision
The vision of iC.A.R.E. Mentoring® is to enhance the quality of life for mentored students by reducing achievement gaps so that every child has equitable opportunities and is prepared for success in the classroom and in life.
History
iC.A.R.E. Mentoring® began in 2013 when a group of men from the community began working weekly with students at McEbright Elementary School in Akron, OH as the “MAN-UP Movement.” Since that first year, it has been clear that there are strong benefits to students when they meet weekly with caring and stable adult role models. iC.A.R.E. Mentoring® began in earnest as a one-to-one youth mentoring program in 2015 serving the Akron Public Schools, and in 2016 expanded to include Barberton City Schools. In 2022 Tallmadge City Schools were added, in 2023 Cuyahoga Falls City Schools, and in 2024 Springfield Local Schools. Our program has grown to include our signature one-on-one youth mentoring program (in Akron, Barberton, Tallmadge, and Cuyahoga Falls), as well as iC.A.R.E. Connect, which involves group-based and peer-to-peer mentoring programs (in Barberton and Springfield).
As of 2021, iC.A.R.E. Mentoring® is administered in Summit County through Red Oak Behavioral Health as part of Red Oak’s prevention services.
In The News
Don’t just take our word for it! Check out these linked articles to learn more about iC.A.R.E. Mentoring® and how we got to where we are today.
Jonathan & Jessica Greer
Our Founders
Jonathan & Jessica Greer founded the MAN-UP Movement, which is the umbrella organization for the iC.A.R.E. Mentoring® program, as community engagement leaders in Akron, Ohio. Their non-profit organization used woodworking and mentorship to teach small groups of elementary and middle-school boys what it takes to be caring, well-rounded, responsible men, which was the precursor for the iC.A.R.E. Mentoring® program. They’ve worked together in imagining how to transform communities in which they’ve lived, into thriving, productive, and sustainable neighborhoods. As “Family First” people, they’ve both taken different but congruent approaches to expanding and developing the work of their non-profit, centered around family, and expansion of the iC.A.R.E. Mentoring® program.
Jessica is a devoted wife and mother. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Family & Child Development from the University of Akron, and is a homeschool educator. Her support is what has allowed her husband to cultivate the iC.A.R.E. Mentoring® program.
Jonathan is a loving husband and father. He is an author and past special lecturer/part-time professor at the University of Akron’s LeBron James Family Foundation College of Education, teaching classes on Urban Mentoring.
Jonathan and Jessica’s work has been featured in the Akron Beacon Journal, Westside Leader, Channel 19 News, SGTV (Socially Good Television), WAKR Horner’s Corner (an Akron Public School’s radio and video station), TCT Television Network and, the United Way of Summit & Medina County’s quarterly newsletter for various programs and services performed and projects they initiated.
Impact
Each year we commission Summit Education Initiative to dive deep into our student data and to compile that information into a report. Please read through the attached reports to see some of the amazing impact that iC.A.R.E. Mentoring® has on our student mentees!
Why Mentoring?
Young adults with a mentor are:
Less Likely To:
55% less likely to skip a day of school
46% less likely to start using illegal drugs
27% less likely to start underage drinking
More Likely To:
130% more likely to hold leadership positions
78% more likely to volunteer regularly
55% more likely to enroll in college
Our Blog
Enjoy the many articles focused on helping you with all aspects of your mentoring journey.