[Apparelyzed]

Mentoring gives hope to children

By Rick Davis

For a number of years I have been a strong proponent of adult/child mentoring in Vermont and am writing today in hope that more adults in our community might be persuaded to sign up to become a mentor.

Three weeks ago we arrived at the Shepherd Center, a specialty hospital for Spinal Cord Injury in Atlanta. Our son had sustained a spinal cord injury on Mount Mansfield and we were here for his rehabilitation. I have learned through this experience that the key principles behind mentoring are exactly the same as those involved in the recovery of a traumatic injury.

As we arrived at The Shepherd Center, the first thing we noticed was the larger than life bronze sculpture of a young man in a wheelchair throwing a javelin. The next thing we noticed was the exceptional, caring people associated with the center. It was clear from the beginning that, as with mentoring, The Shepherd Center is all about hope and the strength of the human spirit. Shepherd patients, some on ventilators, arrive here on stretchers with serious, sometimes devastating injuries. After their rehabilitation, some walk out, most leave in wheelchairs, but they all leave, not as patients, but as individuals physically and emotionally prepared to take on the world. They all have had to start from scratch, overcome great challenges, and develop the skills to be independent and the will to thrive.

Many children in Vermont, like the patients at Shepherd, are in extremely difficult situations and face great challenges. Yet, just as we have seen patients at Shepherd defy the odds and become independent and productive members of their communities, time and again we see Vermont children who grew up in the most difficult environments grow up to be amazing people and leaders of their communities thanks to strong mentoring relationships.

As I watched our son struggle with the difficult reality of being paralyzed from the chest down, then transition to an attitude of "can do," and finally reach for the stars and exceed beyond all expectations, it occurred to me that the "magic" they weave at Shepherd is the same magic of adult-child mentoring in Vermont. It is the magic created by hope. Hope is what allows the patients with spinal cord injuries at Shepherd and Vermont children in mentoring relationships to appreciate their strengths and bounce back from difficult situations. With hope they are able to understand that "what is right with me is more powerful than what is wrong with me."

If you ask mentors about their experiences, you will often get a big grin and a story about their young friend and the activities they do together. Often mentors will tell you that the time they spend in the mentoring relationship is some of the best time they spend each week.

So, while an adult mentor provides a child with the gift of hope, and as a result the child becomes strong, the mentor is also given a gift. It is the gift of joy. And as the mentoring relationship develops, the adult and child become strong together. Fortunately, our son is thriving at Shepherd. At the same time, there are hundreds of children in Vermont who are facing great challenges and who might thrive if they had the benefit of an adult mentor.

If you would like to learn more about becoming a mentor and experiencing the joy of making a difference in the life of a child, you can call Mobius, the mentoring movement, (802) 658-1888. You will be treated well and introduced to a high-quality mentoring program. And once a mentor, you might find that it is the best thing you do each week.

Rick Davis is the president of the Permanent Fund for the Well-Being of Vermont Children.

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