By Lynne Algrant, CEO
On a
blustery, wet Sunday a couple of weeks ago, I walked into the warmest room in
Bergen County. The Iron Horse Restaurant
in Westwood opened early to host the Bergen Mentors brunch, our annual thank
you to the wonderful people who serve as mentors to some of Bergen County’s
most vulnerable kids.
Some
mentors knew each other well. Some were just meeting for the first time. But
all knew they were among special friends and good advisors. “How do you get
them to put down their devices long enough to have a conversation?” was a
question eagerly asked of experienced mentors of teens. “Let me show you a picture of my mentee,” was
proudly exclaimed.
We
were delighted to honor Ruth Schneider, who has served as an active mentor for
25 years. There are 8 young people in
the world, whom Ruth has nurtured, and encouraged—8 people who knew they were
special because of Ruth—even if life circumstances had led them to believe
otherwise. And even though Ruth is in
her 80’s, she was delighted to renew her commitment and start mentoring a 5
year old.
At a
time when the words “role model,” are too often applied to people because they
are famous or rich—Ruth and the other Mentors—remind us of who a role model
really is: a friend, an advisor, a consistent, trusted presence for a child who
might otherwise not have one.
Here
at the Bergen Volunteer Center, we are proud to find wonderful people like
Ruth, train them to be a mentor, and support them as they change the life of a
child.
We
are Redefining Volunteerism and Redefining Role Model.
And
as Ruth demonstrates—age is just a number.
So in 2016—the 50th Anniversary of the Bergen Volunteer Center, we are proud to declare that we aren’t getting old; we are just getting
started.
To
learn more about becoming a mentor, click here.