National Volunteer Week was April 17-23. To celebrate, we’d like to share a message we received recently from one of our former students, Kira. While she was looking over some old Facebook photos, she felt compelled to send us a message to let us know what her time at RE meant to her; particularly her volunteer mentor, Ato, a college student at Morehouse College. The following snippets are shared with her permission:
“I used to look forward to coming to see y’all every day after school because I knew I was surrounded by genuine people, and it was my one place of peace and fun with my friends.
Ato was my mentor around that time and he taught me so much. I used to be so fascinated whenever he had something new to teach me and it’s ironic that my husband resembles his personality and a lot of his traits.
Y’all made me see differently. I’ve been flamed with ambition since then. I’ve been traveling more and living life, and that started with y’all showing me there was more to the world than chaos and fighting all the time.
The lessons and adventures that were instilled in me [at RE] took me a long way and made me want to see the world and set a positive example for the children in my life!”
— Kira, Former RE Student
We thought this was a perfect example of the kind of impact mentors have on students at RE. What may just be a couple of hours of one’s week, to our students is so much more and can impact a lifetime of experiences. We can never underestimate the power of showing up for someone. For many of our students, it’s transformative. Learn more about this rewarding experience and sign up to become a RE volunteer.