As we near the end of the school year I am left wondering how many mentors really recognize the difference you make? I think many of us modestly say we aren’t doing much, we just show up and hang out. Sometimes we might even wonder if we make a difference at all, we may even question if our mentee still “needs” us. This is a common concern for mentors.
I was visiting with a mentor that said “I don’t think I am helping, and am not even sure if he sees me as anything but a way to get out of class.” I assured him that if he gave it a little more time something would happen that would let him know he was needed. The very next week when he arrived at the school the Principal was waiting to greet him. She said “I don’t know if you realize the impact you have made on this young man. He spends a lot of time in trouble and in my office, but not on Tuesday. He is a model student on Tuesday because he doesn’t want to miss his time with you. You are the only constant he has in his life. No one has ever shown up for him like you do.”
“’One hour a week changes lives’ is not simply in the data. It’s in the eyes of the children that wait expectantly for their mentors and are not disappointed. It’s kids realizing that they have enough value so an adult simply wants to spend time with them—spend time with them not because their job is to teach them, not because they are related and have to care for them, not because they are paid to watch them, but simply because this adult values them and chooses to be with them for no other motive.” -Randee Garrett, school counselor and Mentoring Network board member
With our heartfelt thanks…thank you for showing up and making a difference-even when you didn’t realize you were. Thank you for listening, laughing, understanding that silence is OK, and smiling at the persistent chatter. Thank you for being a constant. Thank you for helping your mentee see their value.
The one hour a week you give is changing lives!
—
Marci Silva
Board Chair
The Mentoring Network Inc.
www.MentoringNetworkID.org
One hour, once a week, transforms lives
