Successful Experiences

"Start Back Up This School year"

"What do you mean, "start back up this school year?" I've been going full bore all summer. Not only with my 13 year old mentee, but also his 12 year old sister. I've been teaching the two of them to play golf, we go fishing together, my wife has been teaching the girl how to bake stuff while I've been tutoring the boy in math. Then there's Thursday Thunder and the Friday night drags. I've been having as much fun as the kids have."

"You could not have paired me up with a better family. I say "family" because of their situation. The 13 year old boy and 12 year old girl also have 11 year old twin brothers who are in the Special Needs program. Their mother passed away about a year and a half ago, their father hasn't been in the picture for years, they are in legal custody of their maternal grandparents and living in near squalor conditions. Grandpa loves to go fishing with us. I call him grandpa even though he is about 20 years my junior. There is so much more to tell you about, it's almost like the school year is interfering with our activities."

"God bless and than you for assigning me to this family. Incidentally, the love between our two families have melded to a tightly knit bond that is sure to last far into the future. There is so much more to this story that I hope to get the chance to tell you about it one day."

"More Value in the Relationship than Anticipated"

When I decided to become a mentor to a student in the Griffin-Spalding County School System, I expected to spend time every week tutoring, sharing my life experiences, finding out how I could help my mentee and learning about her. However, after 2 years of mentoring, I have found much more value in the relationship than anticipated. I have learned from my mentee. She taught me who Ruby Bridges was. While I knew the story, I was not familiar with this name. I was honored when my mentee invited me to the ceremony where she received special recognition from the school administration for being respectful, responsible and a problem-solver. Incidentally, at the event she was one of a few students with a leadership role on the program. She led the Pledge of Allegiance. Most rewarding for me was when my mentee gave me a thank you note expressing appreciation for the help I provided to her. I am grateful for the opportunity I have had to mentor these last 2 years and look forward to continuing with the same student until she graduates from high school.