Bob Adams & Marge Bruno
Mentor Tutor Connection began in 1996 when Marge Bruno, who was President of the Los Altos Rotary at the time, envisioned a program to tutor local students. The following year, new Rotary president, Bob Adams, joined up with Marge. As a volunteer basketball coach at Alta Vista High School, Bob enjoyed the connection he established with the students on his team. He and his wife, Lois, saw the value of these relationships and wanted to bring mentoring to more kids.
Gradually, a community of local volunteers joined Marge and Bob. Those early days of Mentor Tutor Connection began as a Rotary service project to deliver tutoring and mentoring to local students. The project grew and became known as Partners for New Generations (PNG), a grassroots effort to recruit, train, and place mentors and tutors with underserved youth in the local community.
As more and more volunteers joined, PNG was recognized as an organization under the umbrella of the Los Altos Community Foundation. In 2002, a capacity-building grant from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation provided multi-year operational funding, enabling the organization to significantly increase its impact. In 2010, with steady and sustained growth, PNG filed for and received its 501(c)(3) status, becoming an independent nonprofit. To better communicate what the organization does and whom it serves, PNG changed its name to Mentor Tutor Connection (MTC) in 2014.
Over the years, the addition of program management staff enabled the organization to sustain the growth and maintain high-quality programming. Today our part-time staff manages volunteer operations (such as recruitment, vetting, training, and support) and the mentoring and tutoring programs. A working board managed all functions until 2015, when the first Executive Director was hired to manage the administration, fundraising, and finances.
The Los Altos Rotary and MTC continue to enjoy a special relationship honoring our shared heritage: MTC is a Los Altos Rotary Endowment Fund Pillar Grantee and, over the years, many Rotarians have served as MTC Board members, community volunteers, and donors.