Credit to NESN:

Becoming a MLB star hasn’t stopped Joe Mauer from remembering where he came from.

The Twins slugger — who signed an eight-year extension with Minnesota this offseason instead of waiting to test the open market — was a special guest at the 2010 Champions of Mentoring Breakfast on Thursday morning, joining Tom Caron, Terry Francona, John Farrell and more.

Mauer sat down with TC on Thursday’s edition of Red Sox GameDay Live to discuss the importance of getting involved in the local community.

“I’ve been involved in Minnesota mentoring programs ever since I was a little kid,” Mauer said. “I grew up in not the greatest neighborhood, and I’ve had great role models in my life, and I’ve been very lucky. I’ve had some friends who weren’t so lucky, so as an athlete, you’re put in these positions to do some good, and mentoring’s always been a big part of things I want to do.”

Mauer’s busy schedule doesn’t allow for a lot of leisure time, but he makes sure that he uses the time that he does have in the best possible way.

“We’re put in a great position to do some good in the community,” Mauer said. “Players before me have taught me that, and now I’m one of the guys who gets to do things like that. Now, I’m trying to get some of the younger guys out in the community, too. It’s great.”

As for staying in Minnesota as opposed to testing the free agent market, the St. Paul native said that sticking with his hometown was an easy choice to make.

“Minnesota is where I grew up,” he said. “I’m comfortable there, I love putting on the Twins uniform and we have a chance of winning. That’s a big thing — one of the biggest things for me.”