Gov. Jennifer Granholm announced Thursday the relaunching of Mentor Michigan spearheaded by her husband, the newly appointed chairman for the Michigan Community Service Commission.

First gentleman Daniel Mulhern will lead the state agency, which funds, promotes and supports volunteer programs throughout the state.

Mulhern will replace former Chairman Russ Mawby, a position Mawby held since 2000.

The announcement was made at the Lansing Center, 333 E. Michigan Ave., at the Grantmakers-Grantseekers 2003 convention.

Mulhern said while the old version of Mentor Michigan focused on keeping children who had minor brushes with the law out of the court system, the new initiative will be more educationally orientated.

"The real push will be not only caring for children's social needs but academic as well, especially literacy," Mulhern said.

Mentor Michigan was originally established by Granholm, former first lady Michelle Engler and Isiah Thomas, head coach of the Indiana Pacers and former Detroit Piston. The Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan also played a part in the program's establishment.

Mulhern said the program will be run on a volunteer basis, utilizing the state's 33 volunteer centers, Senior Corps members and after-school programs.

Granholm said even during the budget crunch, the nonprofit sector plays a large role in promoting community service throughout Michigan.

"I'm very pleased to say that we are partnering with the nonprofit community," she said. "We are going to be joined at the hip. I feel very strongly about raising a generation of people that feel it's their duty to give back."

Mulhern said there will be forums held in the near future to bring existing mentoring program leaders together to brainstorm and develop new programs.

The program will focus on children ranging from three years old through elementary school, Mulhern said.

Granholm has been mentoring a young girl named Brittney for about the last two years, meeting with her about once a week, Mulhern said. The experience has had its benefits for Brittney and the governor's family.

"She went from terrible attendance and really erratic grades to getting all 'As' and 'Bs,'" Mulhern said. "Its had a really big impact on our lives as well as our kids. The kids have seen how the other half lives and have learned to appreciate what they have a whole lot more."