Mentor Respect

[Steve W]

Why do I mentor? Not because of thanks I get. Not because of the awards I get. Not for finacial gain. Why then you ask? I was a leader in a boys group for many years. I continued plugging along and sometimes asked myself the same questions without any answers. About 10 years after I passed my responsibilities along to a younger, more energetic, in touch guy, I found out. It semed as on queue different kids that had gone through our program came up to me and told me how much I influenced their lives. I was deeply touched. They didn't have to and I wasn't looking for it. Sometimes the seeds that we sow take time to grow. By the time some of the seeds start to sprout we are not around. That does mean that they haven't been nourished and fed.

I find that now I mentor because I know that somewhere, sometime that the time I spend will help one to ? kids change their outlook on life and that the time spent will multiply to the rest of society as these kids grow. Do I need a thanks now? No but yes it is nice. Do I expect that what I do will be noticed? No but when it is I know that the kids are growing. If I have a problem with serving then all I need to do is look back on what others did for me. To sum it all up I will resort to a movie title that says it all - Pay It Forward