TAMPA, Fla. — There is a growing demand for mentors to help keep Hillsborough County children on the right track. 

A new program is now helping with that need. 

At least 100 mentors for the Take Stock in Children Program are needed right now. For a lot of those kids, the lack of those mentors could mean the difference between graduating high school and dropping out. 

The Hillsborough Education Foundation says it currently serves about 400 students through the program. 

The idea is simple: An adult mentor is paired with a student in middle or high school and they meet for a couple hours each week with the hopes that the relationship helps the student stay on track. 

All of the students in the program are low income or considered at risk not to graduate. 

Right now, there are just 275 mentors, leaving a large number of those needed. Some mentors are even working with multiple students. 

"I think a lot of mentors initially start mentoring because they want to make an impact on a student’s life," said Anna Laird with Take Stock in Children. "They want to make a difference and they really want to give back, most of our mentors, once they start working with their mentee they get way more out of it than they actually give."

And to be a mentor, candidates have to be at least 18 years old and pass a background check. From there, the candidate goes through training and is paired with a student.