Colleagues and acquaintances look at me quizzically whenever I say something like “I’m off to meet my kid.”
What kid? You have a kid?
It’s my shorthand for kids I mentor. There are dozens of them, all over the country. They’re the high school
or college kids I either taught or mentored who I’ve kept in touch with over the years.
I have a kid at The New York Times. I have a kid at a newspaper in San Diego. At The Associated Press. At the Greeley Tribune. There’s a brilliant young woman I mentor who is interning at The Denver Post who survived the massacre at Columbine High School by running as shots were fired her way.
Usually at any given time, there’s one kid I try to focus on. The kid’s name is Gloria. I don’t want to give out any identifying information about her, but I will tell you this much: Her mother is dying. When she comes home from school, Gloria has to care for her sister’s kids while her sister is at work. She also is in charge of cleaning the house because her mother and sister can’t.
I found out last week that she’s supposed to wear eyeglasses but they broke and she can’t afford another pair. Students pick on her because she doesn’t wear nice clothes.
Still, her eyes sparkle when she talks about her love of writing. She is smart and gifted and warm.
No matter how busy my world might get, she’s always in the back of my mind. I can’t imagine letting two weeks go by without spending time with her.
Not for her sake, but for mine. There’s no feeling in the world that compares to helping a kid. You have to experience it to understand what I mean.
That’s why I hope every adult who has a few hours a week to mentor a kid will take the Youth Mentoring Collaborative challenge.
YMC, a consortium of 15 mentoring organizations, such as Big Brothers/Big Sisters and Save Our Youth and eight other organizations that offer resources, is looking for 1,000 people to serve as mentors.
Most of the kids are considered at risk of dropping out of school. The theory behind matching kids to mentors is it gives them one more adult who is rooting for them. In some cases, it might be the only adult.
For Dominique Taylor, a freshman at J.K. Mullen High School, a Catholic college prep school, having a mentor gives her a glimpse of what college life might be like. Her mentor, Essence Moore, is a student majoring in social science at the University of Denver.
They were paired by the
Byrne Foundation, one of the organizations working with the Youth Mentoring Collaborative.
The two speak glowingly of each other.
Dominique: “Any time that I need help on anything whether it is homework or problems she will talk to me. She’s never too busy to talk to me.”
Essence: “It’s going to sound cheesy but to me it’s really heartwarming. You can see it in her eyes. She’s happy to see me. … I see a lot of myself in her. She’s like a sister to me.”
They e-mail each other, call each other. Sometimes they talk about how Dominique is doing in school. Sometime Essence talks about life at DU. Other times they just hang out and go see a movie.
Interestingly, Essence had a mentor when she was a student at Bishop Machebeuf High School. Her mentor helped her prepare for her SAT and with college applications. It’s what she intends to do for Dominique as she rises through high school.
Mentoring a kid is the best gift you can give to another person, to society and to yourself. I’ll be on vacation when this column runs, but I’ll be looking forward to returning, so I can spend time with my own kid, Gloria.
For more information about becoming a YMC mentor, visit metrovolunteers.org.
Read Cindy’s blog at denverpostbloghouse.com/ rodriguez. Cindy Rodríguez’s column appears Tuesdays and Sundays. Leave
a voice message at 303-954-1211 or e-mail her at crodriguez@denverpost.com.
