YMI | Youth Mentoring Initiative

Mentor and Mentee Stories

darren — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:48:39 +0000

YMI Impact Story

darren — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 21:58:14 +0000

YMI Vision

cfiadmin — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 19:44:10 +0000

Pictures from Golf Outing

darren — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 19:17:09 +0000

Here are the pictures from last weeks Golf Outing at Iron Wood Golf Course.

Lexxi Smith shares her story.

darren — Fri, 13 May 2011 18:54:20 +0000

My mentor is like a second mom to me. When she gives me advice it reminds me of my mother. The way she explains her point of view sounds exactly like my mom. Also, if I’m telling her about a situation it seems like she almost feels my pain.

One thing I learned from having a mentor is, when I don’t want my friend’s advice, I can always turn to my mentor. I say that because, when I’m seeking advice I don’t want it from someone my age. I want it from someone with life experience, someone other than my parents.

This would help me in my years to come because, she has taught me to communicate better and seek help when I need it. But most importantly I can take the advice she gave me and share with other people who might be going through the same problems as I did. I absolutely love this program and would recommend it to anyone.

Joel Noel’s Story

darren — Fri, 13 May 2011 18:43:22 +0000

Having a mentor my eight grade year has been a wonderful experience. Before now I never really knew what a mentor was all about but Mr. Foster has definitely made it very clear for me. Mr. Foster is a positive roll model I can look up to and aspire to be like when I grow up. I look forward to meeting with him on Tuesdays because he always gives me something to think about in a way that I had not thought about it before. He has taught me how to be a leader, make wise choices and also encouraged me to take care of my health. Until now I never really thought seriously about what I want to be when I grow up and now I realize how important it is. I think being a mentor is a very nice thing to do to show kids you care about them and what happens to them in the future and I hope when I’m an adult I will be able to do the same thing.

Ariaunah Koster’s Story

darren — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 18:18:14 +0000

Shellie Law and Ariaunah Koster

My mentor has had a huge impact on my life. Until Shellie, I never had a good female role model to look up to. She is someone that I know i can always talk to about whatever i need. She has especially helped me with big decisions in my life like college. Without Shellie I probably wouldn’t even be enrolled in college right now. Having a mentor has helped me see more good in the world. I think the fact that someone from the community would take time out of their schedule to come and meet with kids that at first they didn’t even know is awesome. I definitely look forward to meeting with Shellie every week. I get to talk to her about everything that is going on, and ask her advise when I need it. I think having a mentor is going to help me a lot in the future. I’ll for sure have a college education because of Shellie helping me make the decision to start my core classes at Ivy Tech. Also I know that I will always have someone to go to if I ever need to talk. This mentoring program has introduced me to someone that I can definitely see being a mentor and friend for life.

Planting Seeds

darren — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 21:58:08 +0000

One of our mentors and her student have been meeting weekly during the school year over the past 14 months. She’s seen her student grow from a teen with little-to-no emotional responses to important events in her life to a smiling, funny young lady who also feels safe to share these events that have shaped who she is. Both the mentor and student feel each time they meet, it is one of the highlights of their week.

The mentor feels this relationship is a give-give opportunity. She’s benefited from knowing this student as well. Even with the student’s family enduring the trials of job loss, losing their home, and health issues over the past couple years, they still volunteer to make blankets for the homeless and help others in any way they can. Hearing her family’s story inspires our mentor to dig deeper and to pursue opportunities to help fill the needs in our community.

This mentor has also learned an important lesson: Introducing yourself upon first meeting your students doesn’t guarantee they’ll remember your name, regardless of the fact that you are meeting on a consistent basis. The students are trying to figure out what type of person you are and what this mentoring is all about. Eventually, when a student feels their mentor is genuinely interested in them and what they are thinking, feeling, and experiencing, he or she is grateful for it. Our mentor received a thank-you card last week from her student. Here’s a quote from the card: “Thanks for everything. You’re an awesome person. Sorry if I forget your name. I have a bad memory. But thanks again for everything.”

Charitable Advisors

darren — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 21:42:06 +0000

Charitable Advisors is one of our first 100 for 100 businesses.

The president, Bryan Orander, was asked a couple questions regarding his donation to CFI. Here is what he had to say:

1. Why support an organization like CFI?

I spend my working life with nonprofit boards and executives but have much less interaction with the people their programs benefit. I have been feeling led for a while to find an opportunity where I could share some of my experiences with a young person. One of the obstacles had been location, since my office is in Fishers, and a significant number of mentoring opportunities in Indianapolis would be hard for me to get to on a regular basis. I volunteered to support a friend who works at the Options Charter School in Noblesville and heard good things about CFI, so I started supporting CFI financially last fall and am excited about getting started in the next month or so as a mentor.

2. How has mentoring played a part in your life?

I can’t recall that I have ever had someone who was officially labeled as a “mentor”, though that terminology seems to be often used today. I am grateful to my parents for their guidance and can think of many people – teachers, coaches, pastors, supervisors, and friends – who have made a lasting impression on the way I think, act, and live.

3. From your perspective, how can mentoring in schools help our community?

I know adolescence is a tough time for most young people. It’s typical to question the people in your life with authority, and your peers aren’t any better prepared for life than you are. It’s nice when students can make a connection with a teacher, but there needs to be more adults available.

Please check out their website: www.charitableadvisors.com Thank you, Bryan, for supporting our efforts in our schools!

Mentors, Mentees, Parents, and Educators share their stories.

darren — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 21:45:44 +0000