Washington DC - Mentoring Project mentor Willie Welch and mentee Lehzan Blake (pictured right) of Portland, Oregon visited the White House last week for the kickoff of President Obama’s new mentoring program that his aides will lead for young men in Washington DC.

The President and first lady Michelle Obama welcomed the first class of mentors and mentees to the Grand East Room to kick off National Mentoring Month.

Willie and Lehzan had a terrific time at the White House, touring the grounds and meeting other Mentor and Mentee pairs.

“It was very exciting for us and such a privilege to be selected. I’d seen the White House in photos and on television, but to actually be there was an absolute privilege,” said mentor Willie Welch.

Check out photos of Willie and Lehzan touring DC and rocking the White House event:

Two days before leaving for Washington DC, Willie and Lehzan had a unique opportunity to share with Lehzan’s entire school about the upcoming trip. Lehzan was performing a dance for a Martin Luther King Day assembly at Buckman Elementary in Portland, Oregon, when the school officials caught wind of the upcoming trip.  As the assembly came to a close, school counselors and after-school teachers brought Willie and Lehzan onto the stage to break the news to Lehzan’s entire school.

“They called Lehzan up and I told the assembly that I was his mentor and we were selected to go to Washington DC to meet the President. When I said that, the whole place was pandemonium. Clapping and yelling, standing up, it was nothing but applause and shouting. Lehzan’s walking around his school like a celebrity now,” laughed Willie. 

Citing his own story growing up without an engaged father, President Obama has proclaimed January National Mentoring Month, urging Americans to give back to young people, saying mentors help children grow into productive and responsible adults.

President Obama praised the efforts of mentoring organizations like Big Brother Big Sister and Them Mentoring Project.

"I was raised by a single mom who struggled at times to provide for me and my sister. And while I was lucky to have loving grandparents who poured everything they had into helping my mother take care of us, I still felt the weight of my father's absence throughout my childhood," said Obama, who has written about his early life in a best-selling memoir.

"So I wasn't always focused in school the way I should have been. I did some things I'm not proud of. I got in more trouble than I should have. Without a bunch of second chances and a whole lot of luck, my life could have taken easily a turn for the worse," the President said.

The effort will plan programs for the boys, including monthly workshops to encourage them in education, career planning and community service. It is similar to one Mrs. Obama started in the fall for young women, pairing about 16 girls from the Washington area with women at top levels in the Obama administration.

Willie Welch praised the White House and their focus on mentoring,

“I was also surprised that there is a mentoring program inside the White House made up of Presidential staff and aides. They are giving their time to helping children grow in so many areas. These people are motivating the children. Can you imagine having a Presidential aide as a mentor?”

More information on the event from the Miami Herald:
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/AP/story/1434783.html