Okay, this one will be more upbeat and shorter than my last blog. I promise.
Some of you know that even after I left my position as supervisor of the Portland Impact Mentoring Program (www.portlandimpact.org/mentoring), I continued volunteering as a mentor. My mentee, Cipriana, is in the 6th grade, and we have been meeting since October. We hang out once a week and our activities have included shopping, going to Saturday Market, doing crafts, going out for pizza, getting pedicures, cooking, watching movies, and bowling. No matter how stressed out or overwhelmed I feel, I always leave my time with Cipriana feeling enriched and blessed.
So here are some of the reasons I love being a mentor:
1) Hearing about her latest crush and why he's the cutest boy in the school.
2) Going to a middle school choir concert to show my support.
3) Receiving an email telling me how glad she is to have me as her mentor.
4) Seeing her smile with pride as she beat me in a game of bowling.
5) Having her mom and dad express their gratitude for my involvement in her life.
6) Laughing hysterically about nothing in particular.
7) Sharing inside jokes about silly things no one else would understand.
8) Getting to set aside all my own worries for a couple of hours a week and replacing them with a fresh perspective.
9) Listening to her giggle as her feet are massaged during her first pedicure.
10) Feeling like I get to make a tangible difference in just a couple hours a week.
Be a mentor. You won't regret it.
1 month ago
2 comments:
Monica, I'm mentoring a 2nd grade girl. It's a school based program so we don't leave school grounds but it is so much fun! It's way more fun than I expected it to be. I'm glad you are doing this!
Love,
Beth (from church)
I try to do 2 hours a week in my eldest daughter's classroom.
We work on reading with some of the students.
It's very rewarding, and fun to run into them around town as they exclaim, "hi Mr. Lawver!"
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