Mentor Spotlight

January 2009 - Lisa Anderson

Why do I mentor?  The question for me is not why do I mentor but rather, why doesn't everyone mentor?  Through mentoring I can do my part in promoting diversity, and in uniting community.  There is just nothing like the feeling of knowing I have been able to help a child to feel more confident, secure in themselves, but most of all I cherish the smiles on their faces when they see me and they know that they are important to someone.  It's also important to me to role model mentoring for my own children Carl, & Tyler, so that they have a sense of good citizenship and contribution to community.

It's easy for me to find ways to make mentoring work for some of the children I mentor because some of them attend the Edward Bain Elementary School of Language and Art otherwise known as EBSOLA School where I work. When I mentor other students not located in my building, I find other creative ways and times to mentor them.

For busy folks who would like to mentor, but cant find the time, there are many things you can do to make mentoring work into your busy schedule by being creative and doing little things during the week.  Some things you can do to make mentoring fit into your schedule easily are: before work to have breakfast, to spend time during your lunch hour, or even via sending mail to them at school for teachers give to them.  For those of you who may be interested in mentoring within in a program, or just by doing little things for children daily, you can make a huge difference in the life of a child with very little effort.  The greatest discoveries you will make through mentoring are the discoveries and the lessons you will learn within yourself.  The greatest gifts are to see the world through the actions and the eyes of a child.

I am forever grateful for the Circle of Hope director Mr. Smith for the opportunity to mentor the most beautiful, and spirited kids I have ever met.  The relationships I have made with the children I have been fortunate enough to mentor, have enriched my life and the lives of my family in many ways, the lessons my family and I have learned from them will last a lifetime.