About Us
51 Years of Mentoring Indian River County Youth
Youth Guidance has provided positive adult role models for children with limited resources in Indian River County since 1973. Our founder, Rita Dion, led Youth Guidance for more than three decades before retiring.
Rita and the staff and volunteers following in her footsteps have shown tremendous dedication to the well-being of local children.
Their incredible passion is evidenced by our many success stories.
A Grass Roots Movement
The first mentee at Youth Guidance was a young boy named Brian Connelly. Brian was raised by a single father in the 70s in a household that he describes as living in the movie: “Animal House.”
Brian was matched with a prominent local attorney, Sam Block. Sam encouraged Brian to stay on track academically and work toward his dream of attending law school. Sam was a key source of consistency and positivity in Brian’s otherwise chaotic life.
Thanks in large part to Sam’s mentorship, Brian is now a prominent lawyer in Vero Beach with his own firm. His story goes full-circle. He and his wife, Laurie, continue mentor two young men who grew up attending the Youth Guidance program.
Brian is one of thousands of individuals whose lives have been forever changed by Youth Guidance.
Brian Connelly and his mentee, Kyle
Providing a Path to a Brighter Future
Over the years, Youth Guidance has evolved to meet the ever-changing needs of our students. In addition to one-on-one mentoring, we now offer four additional programs at no cost to families.
Our goals are to help Indian River County youth overcome life’s challenges, secure meaningful careers, and grow up to have a positive impact on the community.
2024-25 Results
of children were promoted to
the next grade level on time.
total hours of high-quality afterschool programs provided to Indian River County youth.
professional certifications earned by youth in our Construction Trades Pre-Apprenticeship.