About Us
Welcome to the Hope Center Youth Mentorship Program, a new initiative dedicated to empowering and guiding young people in the St. Louis community. We're excited to embark on this journey with you and introduce you to a program designed to foster growth, build confidence, and create lasting connections.
Our mission is simple yet powerful: to pair young people with caring, experienced mentors who can provide support, encouragement, and a positive influence. We believe that every young person has incredible potential, and with the right guidance, they can achieve great things.
This program is more than just a series of meetings; it's a chance for young people to explore their interests, develop new skills, and navigate challenges with the help of a trusted friend and role model.
We've worked hard to create a program that is both fun and impactful, with a focus on building genuine relationships. Whether you're a young person looking for a mentor or an adult wanting to make a difference, we invite you to learn more about how you can become a part of our community.
We look forward to seeing the amazing things we can accomplish together!
With 15 years of experience working with youth and their families across Missouri, Sharonda has held a variety of roles. Her career includes working for the St. Louis Public School District, the Greene County Youth Academy, and several non-profits in the St. Louis area, including the Boys and Girls Club. She has served as a camp counselor, teacher, youth behavior specialist, youth specialist and teen advisor throughout her career. Through her work, she has consistently been a positive influence in the lives of the young people she has served.
For Sharonda, this work is personal. She understands the power of a mentor, having found them in her own coaches, teachers, and through her time in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program where she remains connected to her own mentor. She firmly believes that a positive influence can change the trajectory of a young person's life, and she uses her experience to pay it forward to every youth she encounters.
Sharonda's mission is to build a thriving community. As an alumna of the Neighborhood Leadership Association and a RUNG for Women alumna, she is skilled in Project Management and dedicated to understanding the needs of her community. She plans to use her years of working with children and her deep knowledge of what the community needs to lead young people toward a thriving life. Her hope is to build success for the St. Louis community by bringing hope to one youth at a time.
About the Program Director
Sharonda Pankey is the heart and soul behind the Youth Mentorship Program. She holds a Bachelor of Science from Missouri State University, where she double-majored in Psychology and Criminology. While her initial plan was to work with youth from a restorative justice standpoint to provide a new pathway for those involved in the juvenile system, her passion for pouring into young people has remained the driving force of her career.