Expand Your Universe- Mentor a Child

OUR COMMUNITY

by: Heather Barron colorlogo-noborder2

"Along the way at these corners that you turn in life, there are people, if you're fortunate, who can nudge you in a direction, or urge you to be courageous, and that, to me, is the essence of what mentoring is." - Gwen Ifill, moderator and managing editor of Washington Week

Who inspired you? When you were a child, who were those cornerstone davesskiphotos0512

individuals that helped you become the person you are today? Who took your hand at the crossroads and said, “Let’s walk this road together”? Maybe it was a neighbor, a teacher, an aunt or uncle, or someone at your church. Perhaps the adult who influenced you most was just someone who said the very thing you needed to hear at a crucial moment.

January is National Mentoring Month. The motto for this year is “Expand Your Universe – Mentor a jan07skidays0182

Child.”  And celebrities from all walks of life are calling on everyday people to become mentors like the ones who inspired them. Maya Angelou, Colin Powell, Sting, Quincy Jones, Larry King, Oprah Winfrey, Cal Ripken, Jr., Gwen Ifill and many more are sharing the stories of the people who took a little time and made a big difference in their lives (you can check their stories out here).  But you don’t have to be a professional musician or talk show host, poet laureate or major league baseball player.

Many adults in our community have found a fulfilling way to give back for the mentoring they’ve received in their lives by paying it forward.  Chaffee County Mentors has nearly completed its sixth year of matching great adult mentors with local kids.  With the program’s 3-prong approach to improving the lives of local youth, kids are getting the attention and quality time they need to make positive choices in the areas of education, community service, and just having some plain old fun!

And it’s not all work for the mentors either!  Piggyback rides, campfires, pool parties, a trip to Monarch Mountain, sledding, ice-skating, “Green-Up Cleanup” volunteer days, and many more adventures abound for the Chaffee County Mentor volunteers.  But these are the minor benefits compared to the major rewards that come from making a difference in a young person’s life.

I am who I am today because of amazing adults who spent quality time with me.  My love of travel came from hanging out with fascinating folks who traipsed around the world and shared their stories with me about the many cultures and sights that they had experienced.  I gained a love of poetry from a couple of teachers who mentored me outside of school.   In fact, I am living in Colorado because of a few amazing adults who cultivated in me a love of wild places and a deep respect for the natural world.

Who we become as adults has much to do with the role models to which we were exposed as young people.  I grew up in a family that always seemed to be struggling financially.  We had access to few material resources.  But because my family was so loving and fun, and my dad was such an amazing networker, we often had interesting characters passing through our home.  Several of these would become mentors for me, many as penpals.

These individuals opened my eyes to different ways of seeing the world.  I graduated college, traveled the world, published poetry and so much more.  Now I live in this gorgeous mountain valley doing fulfilling work that connects youth to mentors.  Life has come full circle!

YOU can be one of those amazing individuals who, just by being yourself, opens a child’s eyes to a world of greater possibility.  And you may do this in a number of ways.  You can support CCM by volunteering as a mentor or activity volunteer.  Or, come play with us at our annual “For Kids’ Sake” Golf Tournament and Silent Auction in June.  We also accept donations.

As the folks at the National Mentoring Month organization like to say: “Who inspired you?  Expand your universe – mentor a child.  Pass it on!”

For more information, visit www.chaffeementors.org.

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