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When he was sent to a continuation high school for tardiness problems, Wilson Cai knew it was his last chance to improve his attendance record.

Three months later, Cai, a junior, has close to perfect attendance at Alta Visa High School and has new goals of attending a community college after graduation. He said he owes most of this to his mentor, Bob Adams.

The two were paired up through Partners for New Generations, a local mentoring and tutoring program co-founded by Adams more than 10 years ago. Today, Partners has 150 volunteers who work with at-risk students in the Mountain View and Los Altos public schools, tutoring the younger children through a literacy program and mentoring middle and high school students. The volunteers also help coach the soccer and basketball teams at Alta Vista and run a knitting club at the continuation school.

During their weekly meetings over the last three months, Cai said, Adams has become both confidante and motivator. The two discuss Cai's future and life goals, and Adams also meets with Cai's father just to touch base.

"If I get kicked out of this school, I let Bob down too," Cai said.

Partners has reached over 1,000 students since Adams helped found the nonprofit in 1996 through the Rotary Club. Mentors say the relationships help at-risk students make it through school, while also allowing them to broaden their minds and gain new skills and hobbies. Over the last four years, mentor Pat Farrell has taken his student out to weekly fancy luncheons and even for trips in his private plane.

"I expose him to a better world and give him lots of advice -- I think he is tired of hearing from me," Farrell joked.

Several years ago the nonprofit hired three part-time coordinators to work in the local high schools, pairing up mentors and students. These essential positions -- the coordinators work directly with the students and mentors and make pairings based on common interests make up the organization's biggest expense, Adams said, and are covered by donations. Partners for New Generations receives its funding from the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District, the Los Altos Community Foundation, local Rotary Clubs and the Voice Holiday Fund.

Thanks to these grants, the nonprofit will be "sustainable" for two more years, Adams said. But especially due to recent economic uncertainty, any funding the organization receives is crucial.

"That's all I do now, raise money. I am constantly writing grants," Adams said. "You want sustainability because if you lose money, it will be tough to bring the organization back."

Adams and Cai, both basketball lovers, said they hit it off from the start. Adams used to coach the Alta Vista basketball team, and Cai is starting his first season this year on the same team. The two meet once a week for lunch, and often shoot hoops and practice together for Cai's first game in January.

"Mentoring is different than tutoring. It is about building a relationship," Adams said. "He can tell me anything and I feel I can ask him anything."

Last week, Adams set Cai up with his first job interview for a referee position with the El Camino YMCA. The two met at the gym a couple minutes before the interview to go over a few last minute pointers.

"Look him in the eye and shake his hand strongly," Adams reminded Cai as he left for the interview.