Guest Submission by former Volunteer Iowa Commissioner Bernie Van Roekel As I reflect on my six years as a Commissioner with Volunteer Iowa (the Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service), I am more convicted than I ever have been on the positive impact of volunteerism and … Continue reading A Commissioner’s Reflection
Nominated by Leah Ferrig with Johnson STEAM Academy Tell us a little about the volunteer : I’m a 17-year resident of Cedar Rapids, originally from Colorado. I co-own kittd, llc, a small, woman-owned company here in Cedar Rapids that makes on-the-go activity kits for kids. … Continue reading 50 Faces of Volunteers – Kristie VanGorkom
Nominated by Nancy Franz Tell us a little about the volunteer: Dr. Jim Pease has volunteered for the last four decades, advocating for Iowa’s natural resources as an interpreter, instructor, writer and voice on many environmental issues and education projects. He has taught thousands of Iowans, … Continue reading 50 Faces of Volunteers – Dr. James Pease
The bet was that if Nick beat Adam one more time at knockout, Adam would buy his mentee a soda. It had been a pretty good day for Nick so far, but Adam thought he might still have a chance against his 8th grade competitor. Yet after several more basketball shots it was clear that Nick had creamed him, and Adam brought the victor his soda.
Nick and Adam met in fall of 2015 through the Independence Community Schools Mentoring Program (ICSM). Adam was engaged in the Silver Cord group at his high school for which he would do 200 hours of volunteering over the course of his four years there. Val, the program director for ICSM, encouraged Adam to participate in mentoring his senior year, and matched him with Nick. Nick had had a hard previous semester and found the opportunity to get a mentor.
I’m interviewing the two over the phone almost a year after they were matched for school-based mentoring and they talk like old friends. Val, the program director for ICSM, asks if they ended up studying together at all. The boys laugh and tell her no; they were too busy playing basketball. Between knockout and nitro ball, the two also enjoy playing Connect Four, eating ice cream, and just hanging out to talk.
And for both of them, that was exactly what they needed. In a paper he wrote for English class about someone he looks up to, Nick cited Adam as being a role model in terms of grades, sports, and friendliness.
“Adam has very good grades [and he] is a very hard worker…I got a 3.2 [last quarter] and it’s because I look up to him. Knowing that he’s so smart it makes me want to get good grades like him,” Nick writes. More importantly, Nick says that spending time with Adam regularly “helped me realize that I’m not very lonely.” He adds, “I like playing games with him; he’s a very good sport and he is very helpful.”
Adam is glad he got a chance to help someone else, saying that Nick “helped me, too.” During the stresses of senior year in high school, Adam found his time with Nick to be a good break from school and the opportunity to make a friend. “It was nice to just do something fun,” he says. “Nick is open to making new friends, is a good sport, and always had a good story to tell me.”
The two plan on keeping in touch through email and hanging out when Adam is home for college breaks. Nick attended Adam’s high school graduation and is excited to see his mentor start at the University of Iowa this fall, where he plans on majoring in Business with a certificate in business writing. Nick is now headed into his first year of high school where he looks forward to getting involved in sports like bowling as well as continuing in the mentoring program.
About fostering a positive and long lasting mentoring friendship, Adam tells me, “Be yourself around each other and be willing to earn more about each other.”
You can be a positive mentor for someone and have fun as well! Click here to become a mentor today.
Volunteer Iowa 