5th Annual Mentoring Matters 5K 2026

The Mentoring Matters 5K is a run/walk held at Forest Park in Springfield, Massachusetts. Registration begins at the Monkey House, with parking available at the Cyr Arena lot. Follow My Steps, a Springfield nonprofit, hosts the event. This organization supports youth in under-resourced communities through mentoring, career and skill development, and financial resources. The race begins in the morning and welcomes both runners and walkers, who can register individually or as teams. A virtual 5K option is also available for those wishing to support the event from outside Forest Park. The event directly supports Follow My Steps’ mentoring initiatives, not general charity fundraising. Teams have the option to fundraise collectively, and a youth discount is applied during registration. Each registration includes a T-shirt, subject to availability. The organization has facilitated 40 mentor matches, logged over 2,000 volunteer hours, impacted more than 10,000 youth, and raised $20,000 through Neighborshare. Their materials highlight mentorship as a practical support system: young adults at risk of academic or social disengagement who have a mentor are more likely to enroll in college, assume leadership positions, and volunteer consistently.