Friends First Mentoring Match Stays the Test of Time, Distance

Wednesday, February 1, 2012 by Br. Paul McDonough

Junior was matched with Ken in Mercy Home’s Friends First mentoring program over 10 years ago. At the time, Junior’s family was having a difficult time making ends meet and Ken was newly married and trying to build a life and start a family. They started the match doing what most mentors do with their mentees in the Friends First program. They loved to play sports, visit the shore, take trips to the museums and just hang out and share stories.

As the match matured, Ken spent more time encouraging Junior to do his best in school and to avoid the troubles lurking in the neighborhood. Like most teenagers, Junior had his own ideas and sometimes would test Ken. But Ken always displayed a consistency that made Junior feel more at ease. In many subtle ways, he encouraged Junior to always maintain a level of respect for others. He taught him to be polite and shared his experiences of his life with his family and work.

Throughout the course of the match, Junior had to move several times. And even though the distance was sometimes great, Ken went out of his way to visit Junior on a regular basis. They began to build a level of respect for one another, and even though Junior went through some difficult moments in school and at home, they never wavered in their ability to stay in contact.

Junior is now in Afghanistan, serving our country in the United States Army. Guess what? Ken continues to keep in contact with Junior. Of course, he can no longer meet up with Junior on the weekends and now has to concentrate on the two small children he is raising with his wife. But the bonds that they built during their match through Friends First have stayed strong, no matter the miles between them.

A West Point cadet is taught to always uphold three virtues as a soldier: duty, honor and country. Ken and Junior believe there is one more virtue they both learned during their time in Friends First together, and that is the great deal of respect they will always have for one another.

Related posts:

1. A Time to Give Thanks

Tagged: Br. Paul, Friends First, Junior, mentor, Mentoring, National Mentoring Month     Posted in Mentoring