The most successful people in the world have credited much of their success to mentors. Oprah Winfrey was mentored by Maya Angelou, Rihanna has Jay Z, Bill Gates has Warren Buffet, Mark Zuckerberg had Steve Jobs and the list goes on. Mentors are important because they pass on what they've learned over the years to someone who's in need of the information. It can save a person an abundance of time and in turn cut down their learning curve. If mentors are this important, than why don't we all have them?
One day at church, Betsy Raby was discussing volunteer opportunities. Betsy and her husband, Ken Raby, had been avid volunteers in Grand Rapids, Michigan within their church but they wanted to give back outside of the church as well. This is when the idea dawned on Betsy, who worked at a local elementary school. "What if I can get a group of willing adults to come in and mentor a handful of students" she thought. She then went to Ken and pitched the idea to him. He thought it was a great idea and pitched the Grand Rapids Volunteering opportunity to all of the employees at Walther Trowal, where he works. All of the employees thought it was a great idea and there "Friday Friends" was born.
One day at church, Betsy Raby was discussing volunteer opportunities. Betsy and her husband, Ken Raby, had been avid volunteers in Grand Rapids, Michigan within their church but they wanted to give back outside of the church as well. This is when the idea dawned on Betsy, who worked at a local elementary school. "What if I can get a group of willing adults to come in and mentor a handful of students" she thought. She then went to Ken and pitched the idea to him. He thought it was a great idea and pitched the Grand Rapids Volunteering opportunity to all of the employees at Walther Trowal, where he works. All of the employees thought it was a great idea and there "Friday Friends" was born.
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Friday Friends is a mentoring program that helps kids in elementary become better versions of themselves. The purpose is to bring knowledge and guidance to the youth. Each student in the program is paired with an adult and every Friday the mentoring takes place. Mentors help mentee's with their homework or an academic goal as well as spend time doing activities such as sports or board games.
Friday Friends is currently in its 3rd season and a positive impact on the students has been made. It's not just the thank you notes and words of appreciation from the mentee's, its the looks in their eyes that tell you they have been influenced. Now, the goal is to grow the size of the Friday Friends mentoring program in order to have a greater impact. This is where YOU come in. You have an opportunity to make a positive influence in a kids life. Are you looking for a volunteer opportunity in Grand Rapids? Please Contact Me if you're interested in becoming a mentor. |
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If you're curious about the benefits for the youth when mentoring is involved, see what www.youth.gov says the benefits are:
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If you or your company are looking for volunteer opportunities in the Grand Rapids area and the Friday Friends program seems like the choice for you, please give us a call at 616.455.8940 and ask for either Greg Smolka or Ken Raby.
See more press on Friday Friends here:
See more press on Friday Friends here: