CISNT has found that when a volunteer meets with an at-risk student for one hour on a weekly basis, the mentor often becomes the most consistent adult in the student's life. Many of the students we serve come from homes with incarcerated parent(s), second generation parents (Grandparents serving as the student's legal guardian), parent(s) working multiple jobs, parents who have not completed High School themselves and often have less than a 9th grade level of education. The consistency of the mentor relationship with an at-risk student is critical to the impact the mentor will make in the student's life. However, we realize that from time to time, situations arise that prohibit the volunteer from being able to meet with their student during a week - in those cases, we communicate to the student that the mentor is not available and set their expectations appropriately.