Stories to Share
Pre-Covid Numbers
When Covid shut down schools in March of 2020, our mentor program really suffered. We lost a lot of mentors
and students for a variety of reasons. We had to end a lot of matches prematurely, and some pairs lost touch
over time. In the past two years, Lisa Reynolds and I felt like we had to build the program up from scratch with
all the changes taking place. However, I am proud to say that the program is making a strong comeback. The
number of matches here (at the middle school) are almost equal to pre-pandemic numbers, and people are
getting excited about the program. More volunteers are signing up, and more students are seeking out
mentoring more than ever before. It will be fun to see where our program takes us next year.
Not Really into Sports
The willingness of mentors to do something outside of their comfort zone, in order to make a student happy,
amazes me. We have one student who really likes basketball, and their mentor does not. In fact, the mentor has
told me they do not have “a sports-bone in their entire body.” Yet, when the mentee wants to play basketball,
the mentor says “yes!” I am so proud that our mentors are self-less, caring, and willing to put their comfort
aside in order to build connection.
50 Hours Together
Every year, I usually have a pair or two reach a great milestone: 50 hours of mentoring together. That’s 50
hours of playing games, talking, sharing life, and connecting with someone significant. If you think about it,
most of us do not get the opportunity to have someone’s full undivided attention for an hour a week. Yet, these
pairs have spent over 50 hours together. This year, I have had the privilege of honoring two mentoring pairs
with such an accomplishment.
Mentoring by the Numbers at LMS
32 active matches at the middle school
5 new matches were made in the month of February
6 Students on our wait list, waiting for a mentor
21 potential students interested in the program or referred by staff
302 hours of mentoring so far this school year
Program Update
New mentor orientation: 4 people attended and were match quickly.
BTO policy and procedure manual: Still working through it.