When Tyler and I were first matched we discussed different activities we could do together. We quickly realized that we both had a love for Beantown! Overcome with excitement, Tyler suggested we do a day trip to Boston. I was a little weary about this, because as much as I would love to spend all my money going to Boston with Ty, I knew that wouldn’t help him in the future. So, I sat down and I thought about the “teach a boy to fish” story and how I could apply that to this situation.

At our next meet-up we sat down and budgeted how much it would cost us to go to Boston for a day. We talked about, Gas; Food; “T” Fair; Parking and a Duck Boat tour. All said and done we came up with an overall total of $320.00 for b

oth of us to go. I then asked Tyler what we could do to come up with that amount of money. His initial response was, “I can ask my mom.” I chuckled and said “Not everything in life is going to be provided by your parents…, perhaps we could make something or we could rehab some old furniture to sell.” Tyler really liked the idea of restoring furniture so we decided to refinish an old sled I had previously found. Upon finishing, I realized that this project was so much more than a trip to Boston. Through this one activity Tyler learned a valuable trade. He now knows how to scrape and prepare materials; tape; paint metal and stain & clear coat wood. We also learned how to clean oil paint off of a paintbrush…and the back of my truck…

All in all, we liked how the sled turned out so much that we decided to keep it. So even though we still have a long way to go to get to Boston, by the time we do Tyler will have some great skills under his belt that he will be able to use for the rest of his life.

My experience with mentoring has been absolutely fantastic and just gets better all the time. I was a little nervous at first, but now all I do is look forward to the next outing or activity. Colton (my mentee) has reintroduced me to how much fun it is to be a kid again and I am so thankful for that. I went into this thing with a desire to do something good for society and The Mentor Connector has certainly afforded me that, but I did not expect to get so much in return. It really feels great to be part of something so worthwhile.

Colton and I have a blast with a wide range of adventures and teachable moments. The Mentor Connector also provides a lot of fun group activities and opportunities that help a ton. All those things are good, but sometimes just hanging out together and doing simple things brings about the most joy and enlightenment for both of us. I feel lucky to have been blessed with such a great mentee and his supportive family.

Many thanks to all that make it possible,

Rob

Message from Colton’s mother-

Rob couldn’t be a more perfect Mentor! He is such a wonderful person. What a match! They have a great deal of fun and enjoy each other’s company tremendously.

We will have fun in all we do. If we are not having fun, we are not doing it right.

We continuously work to have the highest standards in safety, training, program management, and evaluation

We strive to work with integrity and be transparent about our finances, decisions, goals, and actions

At the Mentor Connector, we respect the dignity, uniqueness, and intrinsic worth of every person. We celebrate that we are all different ad seek to empower each staff person, mentor, mentee, or volunteer to achieve his or her goals.

Often our matches are long lasting and inspirational as you will see in this mentoring story. Leslie has been matched with Sasha for over 10 years…

Often our matches are long lasting and inspirational as you will see in this Mentoring Story. Leslie has been matched with Sasha for 10 years. The match began when Sasha was 8. Today, Sasha is 18 and a Senior in high school. How incredible! Time flies!

Leslie received the 2017 Sandy Cohen Volunteer of the Year, an award given annually to a mentor who exhibits the highest standards of mentoring. Sasha had an Upward Bound commitment and could not see Leslie receive her award.

“I am UPSETTI- SPAGHETTI”, said Sasha when she could not be at the ceremony!

When Sasha was asked to speak about Leslie, these are her words.

“Please tell Leslie that she is the most beautiful and KIND person that I know and that she has meant so much to me.

She has always BEEN THERE for me. She has always encouraged me to never give up on my dreams and is my inspiration for everything that I do.

Tell her that I love her for showing me all sorts of new things that I probably never would have even thought to try, if it wasn’t for her. I want to always continue being Leslie and Sasha for FOREVER.

That would mean so much to me if you can tell her these things for me when she receives her award. Tell Leslie that she deserves it and that I’m so very PROUD of her.”

We could not have said it better Sasha.

THANK YOU Leslie for being an amazing Mentor!

And the story does not end there…Sasha got accepted to all the colleges she applied and received a full boat 4 year scholarship to Champlain College, her #1 choice!