Grammy winner Patti Austin is speaking out in favor of mentoring in honor of National Mentoring Month and National Thank Your Mentor Day on January 21.

Austin, who cites her parents as well as Dinah Washington and Quincy Jones as her mentors, tells ET, "Especially, as we begin this time of celebrating the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., one of the greatest mentors of all time, I begin to think of the songs that came out of the civil rights movement and the artists that were inspired to offer up their soul-stirring creations to empower people to bring on cultural change."

"Needless to say, we are at that time in our history again. For me, music is the strongest door opener to the hearts and minds of the people. I want to use recorded music, videos, concerts and social networking as the 'stimulus package' to reenergize the focus on forward thinking approaches to education as the key factor in eradicating poverty for the coming generation. Learning should never stop for all age groups. We can empower millions to realize the opportunity to help shape a new society of creative 'mentorologists' in all areas of life," Austin concluded.

For more information on how you can become a mentor, visit www.nationalmentoringmonth.org.