ShineOnCass Foundation and AYCC Launch “Shine Together” Youth Mentoring Program
- February 6, 2026
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February 6, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Monica Charette, shineoncass@gmail.com, 207-314-6996
ShineOnCass Foundation and AYCC Launch “Shine Together” Youth Mentoring Program
Oakland, Maine — ShineOnCass Foundation, in partnership with Alfond Youth & Community Center (AYCC) in Waterville, is proud to announce the launch of Shine Together, a new youth mentoring program to foster meaningful connections, confidence, and community among young people in Oakland.
Shine Together pairs students from Messalonskee High School with children in kindergarten through fifth grade attending the AYCC After School Program at Atwood Primary School in Oakland. Through weekly, one-to-one mentoring, students build positive relationships centered on kindness, encouragement, shared interests and positive role modeling.
High school mentors (Bigs) are carefully screened and trained before being thoughtfully matched with younger mentees (Littles) based on personality and interests. Matches meet weekly after school to read, play board games, do crafts, work on homework, build trust, and create consistent, supportive connections. The program currently supports 11 matches at the Atwood site, with plans to expand the program to other local communities.
Shine Together is led by ShineOnCass volunteers serving as weekly program coordinators who facilitate group activities, lead kindness initiatives, and provide ongoing match support. AYCC After School Program staff provides program training and oversight, ensuring match safety and success.
Shine Together was created to honor Cassidy Charette, a 17-year-old Messalonskee student and community volunteer, who died in a hayride accident in 2014. Charette’s legacy of kindness and service continues through the ShineOnCass Foundation. Shine Together was developed to meet a local need for youth mentoring after the recent closing of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mid-Maine, which included ending the successful ShineOnCass youth mentoring program that served hundreds of local kids for 11 years.
Monica Charette, executive director and founder of the ShineOnCass Foundation, said she wanted to create a mentoring program that would support local kids and give young adults the opportunity to participate in meaningful community service.
“Mentoring is a significant part of Cassidy’s legacy,” Charette said about her daughter, a youth mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters who was just two weeks shy of meeting her first “Little Sister” at the AYCC when she died.
