Oakland CARES

Oakland Bay Area CARES (OBAC), led by Rev. Andriette Earl, founding spiritual leader of Heart and Soul Center of Light, is a proud affiliate of the National CARES Mentoring Movement. We are dedicated to closing the huge gap between the relatively few Black mentors and millions of our vulnerable children on youth-serving organizations’ waiting lists hoping a caring adult will soon show up. Recruiting and training mentors is the sole reason for our existence.

To expand the pool of qualified adults available to serve as mentors, the OBAC Recruitment Circle does outreach and training in churches, civic groups and other places where caring adults gather. The OBAC connects this volunteer base to established mentoring organizations with an outstanding record of success in serving young people. Our organization and mentors work in partnership with local youth-support agencies to expand their capacity to serve more children consistently and effectively. This fills a critical need for youngsters across the spectrum, from those immersed in the social welfare and juvenile justice systems, to highly-resourced youth, many of whom still have little or no connection to their own culture, history and legacy and are thereby losing ground.