LinkThe program was created so that mentees could receive support and advice from their mentors to assist in the development of a positive LGBT identity and "feel comfortable in their own skin," Alford-Keating said.
She said the program was also created to decrease fear and negative stigma associated with the LGBT community and to counsel people through their coming-out processes.
"Coming out is a very isolated process for many people," she said. "Most people suffer in silence and are very depressed and anxious about it."
Alford-Keating said she requested that the program continue after she left and does not understand why the mentoring program stopped since the need for it has not disappeared.
