United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley, Champion of Mentoring 2013 honoree

The need for a strong community, especially for our youth, is more significant than ever. We are thrilled to share with you our three 2013 Champions of Mentoring – individuals and organizations that are committed to strengthening our communities through fueling the youth mentoring movement. Our Champions have gone above and beyond to support mentoring and advance our cause to bring more caring adults into the lives of young people. We will share their stories over the next several days, and they will be honored at our Champions of Mentoring Breakfast at Fenway Park on May 24.

The United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley is one of our terrific Champions of Mentoring 2013 honorees. A long-time strong supporter and advocate of mentoring, they provide financial support and resources for more than 30 mentoring organizations across the region. In 2012 alone, they supported almost 7,000 youth in mentoring relationships in communities with the greatest need, making these youth less likely to engage in risky behaviors and more likely to graduate from high school. Many mentoring programs would not be able to perform their greatest work – supporting youth with quality mentoring relationships – without the support of the United Way.

Additionally, the United Way is a vocal advocate in strengthening our community, raising awareness of the need for more mentors and creating collaborations like the Lynn Mentoring Network to enable programs to build the capacity to serve more youth in need.

The United Way has been a strong supporter of Mass Mentoring over the years, helping MMP to provide training and technical assistance to help programs reach higher standards of quality through their Quality-Based Membership process. Through a range of powerful contributions to youth mentoring, the United Way has proven time and time again, that they are committed to helping all youth reach their potential and strengthening communities through quality mentoring and support services. 

We are proud to call them Champions of Mentoring on behalf of programs and thousands of matches across the state.

Joanne Quinlan-Roberts, Champion of Mentoring 2013 honoree

The need for a strong community, especially for our youth, is more significant than ever. We are thrilled to share with you our three 2013 Champions of Mentoring – individuals and organizations that are committed to strengthening our communities through fueling the youth mentoring movement. Our Champions have gone above and beyond to support mentoring and advance our cause to bring more caring adults into the lives of young people. We will share their stories over the next several days, and they will be honored at our Champions of Mentoring Breakfast at Fenway Park on May 24.

Three-time The Boston Marathon®/Team MMP runner Joanne Quinlan-Roberts is one of our Champions of Mentoring in 2013, and we are thrilled to honor her commitment to fueling the movement for quality youth mentoring.

Joanne is deeply invested in mentoring, and has sat on the board at Family Service, Inc. of Lawrence for almost 20 years. When she applied to run for Team MMP in 2011, she said she always wanted “to support a smaller charity, where I knew (how the money) would be spent. It has been the perfect connection to run for Mass Mentoring.”

Joanne, the East Regional Controller for KPMG, has raised close to $17,000 over the last three years in support of quality youth mentoring, and feels great about her experience as a charity runner.

“I felt supported by Coach Rick (Muhr) and felt so connected to MMP, and how the money we raised meant so much to so many people,” she says.

For her long-standing support of the youth mentoring movement and for raising mentoring’s profile through her Boston Marathon commitment, Joanne’s Champions of Mentoring 2013 honor is well-deserved.

Sherée Dunwell, Champion of Mentoring 2013 honoree

The need for a strong community, especially for our youth, is more significant than ever. We are thrilled to share with you our three 2013 Champions of Mentoring – individuals and organizations that are committed to strengthening our communities through fueling the youth mentoring movement. Our Champions have gone above and beyond to support mentoring and advance our cause to bring more caring adults into the lives of young people. We will share their stories over the next several days, and they will be honored at our Champions of Mentoring Breakfast at Fenway Park on May 24.

Three-time The Boston Marathon®/Team MMP runner Sherée Dunwell is one of our Champions of Mentoring in 2013, and we couldn’t be more pleased to honor her for her invaluable commitment.

A Lynn native,  Sherée found inspiration in Mass Mentoring’s mission of fueling the movement to expand quality mentoring for youth. She felt that as a child of a single mother, she would have benefited from having a mentor herself.

“The (first) marathon for me was a personal challenge, and the beginning of a new healthy life for myself,” she says. “More importantly, however, I wanted my running to benefit kids in true need…I have always wanted to make it a part of my life’s mission to see to it that kids who are at-risk understand that the sky is the limit.”

Although she faced some challenges while training for and completing her first marathon in 2011, not only did she not give up, but her perseverance helped her raise more than $8,000 in her first year. Encouraged, she  aimed higher and set ambitious fundraising goals for her ensuing marathons in 2012 and 2013.  Cumulatively, she’s raised more than $32,000 in support of quality youth mentoring.

“I’ve become so unbelievably inspired and moved by this wonderful organization…and the wonderful mentors and mentees who’ve shared their stories,” she says.

Sherée’s generosity and desire to help youth succeed is evident beyond her marathon participation. While in college, she taught voice and dance lessons to underprivileged kids. Now, she’s a volunteer at the RFK Children’s Action Corps.

We know this is not the last we’ll see of Sherée. Her belief in the power of quality youth mentoring runs deep, and not only are we thankful to count her as a friend of mentoring, but we’re proud to honor her as one of our 2013 Champions of Mentoring.

Read more about Sherée’s marathon experiences at her blog and check out our previous post about Sherée.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Franklin County gains new visibility with a parade float

Submitted by Danielle Letourneau-Therrien, Executive Director

Folks in the Athol/Orange area know River Rat Day, and it’s a pretty big deal. 2013 is the 50^th anniversary of the River Rat Race, which puts kayakers and canoes into the river in early April.

Big Sister Stella and Little Sister Deven decided to create a float as an activity they could do together. Stella took the lead and got us signed up for the River Rat Parade, which was free of charge to join. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Franklin Co. (BBBSFC) staff and board put out the alert to get as many people as we could to come along that day. We had bubbles, candy to toss, and some informational pamphlets. People along the route shouted that they love us, and some folks shouted out for info pamphlets, since they didn’t realize our reach went that far east. It was great for visibility and potentially for recruitment.

The Franklin County Spring Parade is in Turners Falls, and is in its third year. They have a theme each year, and this year’s was Hawaiian Luau. Since Stella and Deven made such beautiful flowers on the float, it fit in with the theme perfectly. We gathered candy, info pamphlets and bubbles, and this time we also got some Hawaiian leis from the dollar store for everyone to wear. We had a few more matches join us, additional supporters, staff, board and children of a board member. Once the parade was over, we were awarded “Great Use of Theme – Big Brother/Big Sisters” and received a blue ribbon.

For both events we announced it to all our community matches, staff, board and on Facebook. We all wore our BBBS t-shirts, and brought extra in case more people showed up.

Some things to consider:

• When you sign up for a parade, you will need to let them know if you have a float or vehicles ahead of time. People just marching is OK, too
• They usually have you line up an hour or more in advance, so be aware of that if you have little ones with you
• Bring snacks and water
• Wear comfortable shoes and bring layers, just like if you were walking a 5k
• Tell everyone who supports your program that you will be there!
• Bring information about your program, even if it doesn’t seem like a good thing to “toss.” People will ask!
• Bring your banner or make a large sign
• Ask board members to attend, too
• Wear matching t-shirts or sweatshirts
• Remember the sunscreen

For more information on Big Brothers Big Sisters of Franklin County, contact Danielle Letourneau-Therrien at director@bbbs-fc.org.

Making a difference

Mark Eldridge, CEO of The Start Group, guest wrote this blog piece on advice and lessons learned for businesses that want to make a difference.

An important part of any business has to be profitability. But once profitability is obtained, there should also be a focus on giving back. This doesn’t just have to be money either; there are a lot of ways to get involved in helping your community. When we first decided that we wanted to find a way to give back as a company, we made a lot of mistakes. Since that time, we have learned a few things and have the following bits of advice to offer any businesses thinking about increasing their charitable efforts.

• Be selective. Decide on causes that are meaningful to the company. At first, in our desire to give back, we contributed to anything. Our donations and efforts were too small to make a lasting impact. After brainstorming, we identified two causes that we believed in and wanted to support.
  
• Choose a partner carefully. Once you decide upon a cause or two, look for a partner that can help you. For instance, if you decide to support cancer research, there are a number of organizations that run events and activities in which you can participate rather than going it alone. By building a relationship with these types of organizations, you take a lot of the guesswork out of the process to ensure your efforts are making a difference from the very beginning.
• Get others involved. Make involvement a company-wide initiative. Add incentives like extra vacation time or a gift certificate for participation. We found that once our people had a slight motivation to get involved, the thrill of contributing to a worthy cause pushed them along from there.
• Get creative. While charities always appreciate checks, they need more than that. We were able to volunteer our time and even donate some old office furniture. The partners with whom we have formed the strongest relationships understand our inability to always provide a monetary contribution, but appreciated our unique approaches. This makes both sides feel like it is a partnership and not just a one-time donation.
• Tell everyone about it. Make people aware of your efforts. Taking time, effort and resources from other endeavors and dedicating them to a charity is a noble cause. Your partner may be able to help you publicize, but even if they can’t, brag about it. This may seem self-serving, but you’re accomplishing two goals: 1) promoting awareness (a big concern of any charitable cause) and 2) perhaps you inspire someone else to get involved. Social media gives us a free, loud voice. What better way to use it?

We found that the benefits of charity were double-sided. Although the goal was to help others, we also ended up helping ourselves. Our employee morale and pride have increased  and the activities in which we engaged created an even stronger sense of camaraderie. We sought to give back and received even more.

The Start Group fielded a 20-member team for Mass Mentoring in the 2012 Rodman Ride for Kids, raising close to $30,000, and also partnered with Family Service, Inc. on their holiday party and bowling fundraiser.

Meet our runners: Chris Collier

For the third year in a row, Mass Mentoring Partnership is honored to be an official charity partner of the B.A.A. Boston Marathon® on April 15. We want you to meet our amazing runners. Let’s go Team MMP!

Runner:  Christopher Collier
Longest run to date: Bermuda Triangle Challenge January 2013 (3 days: 1 mile, 10k, Full Marathon)
Favorite song to listen to while running: Chariots of Fire
Favorite post-run snack: Gatorade. But after a marathon race all I really want is a messy bacon cheeseburger and a beer.

1. What inspired you to run the 2013 Boston Marathon for MMP? Running is a great way to stay in shape.  It is also a great way to make new friends.  Running along the coalition path with all the others is a very inspiring time.  Hundreds of charity runners are on the path. Waking up early on Saturday morning to go run 10-15 miles in the cold.  Some think we are crazy, but they just haven’t experienced the reward at the end of the trail. Last year, I was completing one of my longer training runs and was on the back-end of the run, eagerly looking for my finish mark.  I was gaining on a runner and as I got closer to him I realized that he only had one foot and was running with a prosthetic running device.  I don’t know how he lost his limb but I do know that the courage and strength it takes for someone to be able to lose a limb and then have the ambition to get back to running is powerful beyond measure.  Whenever I am running out of energy on my runs I just think back to this moment and realize, if he could do it, then I really have no good excuse to quit.
2. What has been the most rewarding experience of your training and/or fundraising so far? I very much enjoy the support during the races.  Strangers will scream for you, hand you water or snacks.  During the 2012 Boston Marathon people had their garden hoses on all day for you to run through.  It is really humbling to see all the support the community gives.
3. Tell me about your mentee! My Mentee is Jahmir. He is 11-years-old. I have recently graduated from the program due to a change in location.  I spent more than 2.5 years spending weekends with him just enjoying time together in a nearby arcade, Boston Common, or forcing him to clear a fear of heights and check out the observation lounge at the top of the Prudential.  As many mentors know, the first few months are not easy and there is usually a large barrier that must be broken one brick at a time. However, once I gained his trust, I befriended an energetic, athletic, happy-go-lucky adolescent.  I can tell what he enjoys most is just having someone to hang out with, joke around with, and be a little rambunctious with.
4. What do you think is the most important thing a mentor can do for a child? Be patient and sometimes all you have to do is listen. Be an outlet. Be a friend and not a parent.
5. What is the best piece of advice a mentor can give? Being in a mentoring program is not all sunshine and rainbows. There will be struggles along the way, but if you are patient with the relationship, there is a light that shines brighter than any other at the end of the tunnel.
6. Complete this sentence: When I finish the Marathon, I will feel…Exhausted, but very proud.

If you would like to read more about Christopher or make a donation to his fundraising, please visit http://www.razoo.com/story/Boston-Marathon-2013-1

Program highlight: Falmouth VIPS

Guest blogger Tracey Crago is the director of the Falmouth VIPS program

Falmouth Public Schools, through the Falmouth Volunteers In Public Schools (VIPS) Program, offers school-based mentoring programs for students in grades K-12. VIPS started the program in 1994, in response to a request from elementary school adjustment counselors who found that some students could benefit from a one-on-one relationship with a kind, caring adult. The result was the launch of Project RISE (Raising Interest and Self-Esteem), geared for students in grades K-8. A mentoring program for high school-aged students followed three years later. Today, there are 78 students matched with an adult mentor and the focus of the program remains true to its original aim: to improve a student’s self-esteem. The program does not focus on academics (VIPS has other volunteer-based programs to support students struggling academically); rather, the mentors work with the students to build self-confidence and support them socially and emotionally by serving as a reliable, trusting, caring friend.

As a school-based program, mentors and mentees meet weekly throughout the school year, but do not meet outside of school or during breaks. To address what many might consider a negative of school-based mentoring, the VIPS program organizes opportunities throughout the school year for mentors and mentees to spend quality time together outside of the school. For example, through grant support, VIPS sponsors educational field trips to local attractions, giving matches a chance to spend quality time together in the presence of other matches. In addition, VIPS mentors meet monthly to share advice and interact, while hearing from local healthcare and community professionals on topics and issues relevant to students in today’s world. Recent examples include: the role of social media in relationships (positive and negative), the effects of grief and trauma on children, recognizing signs of depression, using children’s literature to communicate with your mentee, the importance of closure in the mentor-mentee relationship, food and nutrition tips, and more.

One of the biggest successes of the VIPS mentoring program is match longevity. Mentors are asked to commit to a school year when matched with their mentees. The majority of VIPS mentors stay with the same mentee for two or more years, with some matches lasting for as long as eight years, until the student graduates from high school. Multi-year relationships help students with several transitions:  school to school, social and emotional adjustments associated with maturity, and navigating the pressure from peers to “fit in.”

One great story is that of Laura, who is a sophomore at Colby-Sawyer College who keeps in touch with her mentor, Barbara. They were matched when Laura was in 4^th grade and stayed together until Laura graduated from Falmouth High School in 2011. Laura met Barbara when she was 10 years old. “I remember my guidance counselor bringing me into the room next to the cafeteria to meet her and have lunch with her,” recalls Laura. “Little did I know that we would be spending the next eight years worth of weekly lunches together, nor did I know how incredibly wonderful they would be.”

“My mentor and I have grown so close. [Barbara] has become much more than just a friend; she has become part of my family. My mentor is an amazing woman who has impacted my life in such an incredible way. I will never forget that she has always been a part of that pathway of life for me.”

VIPS mentors range in age from early 20s to mid-70s. They are all young at heart! Recently, VIPS helped launch a peer mentoring program, matching Falmouth High School seniors with younger students in grades 5-8. Middle school and junior high students can be tougher to match because they are worried about what their peers think and perceive that having a mentor will make them stand out. The peer mentor program has changed this thinking completely! Because the younger students look up to the high school mentors, they view their peer mentors as “cool” role models. Much of the success of the Peer Mentor program can be attributed to the fact that it is run as an independent study course and students receive academic credits for participating. This built-in accountability has ensured continuity, reliability, and consistency—so critical to a match.

You can find out more about our program by visiting our website, www.falmouthvips.org or by contacting Sharon Sodekson, VIPS Mentor Programs leader, at mentor@falmouth.k12.ma.us or calling (508) 548-1621.