“So I missed this year’s kickoff training”

I know what you’re thinking…… I can see you thinking it. You’re thinking, “Ok so now they will stop asking me to be a mentor. Their recruitment season is over so now I will get a break.” To that thought, I have several things to say:

First, we weren’t recruiting you, necessarily, and if you thought we were recruiting YOU then somewhere inside you know that you could be a great mentor but maybe you’re in denial. I have a challenge for you: watch. See what your peers are doing. Listen to them. Seek to get some answers to lingering questions that you may have or skepticism you may possess regarding mentoring.

Second, this mentoring program is special. It is different from other programs you may know about or have worked with previously. This is about building long-term relationships. We won’t be changing mentors and mentees year to year, so we will need a rolling group of new mentor cohorts to partner with families and kids each summer.

Third, you may be at a place in your life where you are not in proximity to a student or a school to be able to volunteer your time, but we need to continue to spread the word about our fantastic students and families. Our mentors are incredible people too. We need community to continue to support this group and help out whenever possible. Helping out comes in lots of different forms. Funding is always needed and 100% of donations goes straight to programming and students. Involved adults are all working on a volunteer basis. We hope to consistently expose our students to new experiences. If you have a skill or an experience to share with our kids and adults then please reach out. Volunteer at an OCM-sponsored event. Help us out in being a chaperone or support person at an event to provide fun opportunities for our mentors and mentees.

We are extremely excited about what is happening and the time, effort, and energy that has been put into this so far. For this program to be successful, it will rely on many more people stepping up and showing how unordinary they truly are. Share good. There’s too much bad being passed around. Join us in supporting each other and share some good.