Today, I began a new role as a Mentor for a program named “Take Stock In Children.” I read about the qualifications and felt it would be a good fit for me and hopefully the “Mentee.” As I walked from my car to the office, I suddenly had a case of the jitters and chuckled to myself. “What is going on, you know you love helping and listening to children?”
As I opened the door, I could see a pair of big brown eyes on a smiling face waiting for me. All my butterflies vanished as we introduced ourselves.
We shared information about each other and I jotted down her goals and aspirations and tidbits about her hobbies and family. This program offers a scholarship to pre-selected children based on income and someone that needs a friend to motivate, help with keeping up their grades, self esteem (if needed) and to just be there for them. My job is be a very good listener and also feel comfortable with each other. We found that having a few favorites in common like music, reading and a love of animals gave us a nice foundation to build on.
I am looking forward to a school year filled with success for my Mentee. I will keep you informed as we will meet 2-3 times a month at the school.