Seeing children and young adults flourish and become confident in themselves is just one of the many rewards for mentors. Young adults who are mentored are 78 percent more likely to volunteer regularly in the future and 90 percent are interested in becoming a mentor* demonstrating the importance the relationship has on their lives. Palmetto GBA Associates mentor through company relationships/partnerships with local elementary schools and also individually.

Jennifer Dowell, a Medical Review Director at Palmetto GBA, started as a parent volunteer with her oldest son’s cub scout troupe – eight third-graders. This included helping with weekly “adventures” ranging from basic first aid to camping trips. Of course, community service is a major part of scouting. Instilling the importance of philanthropy and betterment of self and community is a foundation for scouts. Jennifer also assisted with monthly service projects such as visiting nursing homes and planting trees.

As her boys have grown and moved up in scouting she has too. Jennifer is now an Assistant Cubmaster to a pack of 65 boys. She helps assure that the boys are on track to meet their rank. As the only nurse in the pack, Jennifer teaches the first aid and CPR requirement. “My favorite thing to do with the scouts each year is disability awareness. This is where each scout walks in the shoes of someone who has a disability. My oldest son has special needs and uses a wheelchair as his means of locomotion and this is his favorite thing we do as well. He always volunteers his wheelchair and gets quite amused at his peers that struggle to go up a ramp,” states Jennifer.

Training and Development Manager, Jeff Coleman has been mentoring with Ezekial Ministries in Columbia, SC for two years. During that time period he has mentored the same boy, Tayon, who is now 10 years old. The ministry matches mentors and children based on age, personality and interests. Jeff says his mentee is very smart and energetic and just like most children loves to play games. Before the pandemic they would meet in person at the Center to review homework or play games. They would also go on excursions to kayak, hike or eat at Chick-Fil-A. Jeff says that he is even teaching him to ride a bike. Jeff and Tayon still meet in person, but because of COVID-19 they must be creative in finding activities that allow them to follow health safety guidelines.

Jeff says that in many ways his mentee is part of his family. And Jeff’s 18-year-old daughter dotes on him. “One time, Tayon came over for dinner and saw that we had his photo on our refrigerator. He pointed it out and said, ‘Look I am part of your family,’” Jeff said.
Just showing up and being a consistent presence is important. “Letting them know that they are valued can be very powerful,” Jeff believes. He wants to draw awareness to mentoring. Many children who need mentors don’t have one. With a small commitment of time, you can make a huge difference in someone’s life.

*https://www.mentoring.org/mentoring-impact/