Mentors for Youth responds to sentencing of former director

This week marks a significant moment of closure for Mentors for Youth of Dubois County, as former executive director Ellen Corn was sentenced following her conviction for embezzling from the organization during her five-year tenure. While the legal process has reached its final chapter, Mentors for Youth has long since turned the page.

Since this person’s departure in 2022, Mentors for Youth has been on a steady path of rebuilding. In the past few years, the organization has made over 40 new matches. These connections between mentors and mentees may never have happened without the steadfast support of our community.

We are incredibly grateful to the Jasper City Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service for their thorough and timely investigation, and to Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Miller and Victim Liaison Stephanie Lloyd for keeping us informed throughout the legal process. We also want to say thank you to the donors who gave us another chance, to the staff who stayed grounded in the mission, to the board members who put in long hours to rebuild trust and transparency, to the mentors who stood by us and their mentees, and most of all, to the kids whose light and laughter kept us moving forward.

Ms. Corn was sentenced to 1 year and 9 months in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution of $121,439.72. It is our most fervent hope that this outcome serves as a deterrent to other individuals who would violate the trust of the philanthropic community and take resources from children and other vulnerable members of our society.

Mentors for Youth has been serving children in Dubois County for 38 years and remains the only community-based youth mentoring program in the county. Thank you to everyone who has played an important part in ensuring that this service continues to make a positive impact on the youth in our community.

Erin Kidwell
Executive Director, Mentors for Youth of Dubois County
erin@mentors4youth.com (812)482-2227