A Little Advice--One P4K Mentor's Perspective

Patti Van Horn is a mother of three and a grandmother to eleven. She is also a  a busy full-time professional with Lincoln Financial Group, who still finds time to volunteer with her church and feed her passion for baking decadent desserts and pastries. Patti's plate is pretty full! 

Despite what most would agree is a pretty fair statement, Patti would say her plate would never be complete without her three  mentees, or as she likes to call them,  "her girls". Patti has been a group mentor with P4K for almost a year and wouldn't give it up for the world.  Below is an excerpt from a note she recently sent to P4K staff about her experiences as a mentor, along with a little advice for new incoming mentors. --Thanks for sharing your story Patti and also for your commitment to P4K's kids!

Being a mentor has been such a rewarding experience for me.  I love my girls.  I lost one this year but to a good cause.  She was a foster child last year and has been reunited with her family in Lincoln now.  That's a good thing because she was a daddy's girl and missed him terribly. Tell the new mentors to have an open mind and an open heart.  Trust will come in time and the kids will share. 

I love to bake and my girls and I found common ground in that.  We made Christmas, Valentine and Shamrock cut-out sugar cookies, which we frosted and decorated. I gave them care packages of their own- aprons, cookie cutters, cookie sheets, a hot pad each, etc. I had the care package's sitting on the table when they came in and they squealed and said it was like Christmas!! The girls loved it and are looking forward to more baking this year. I took pictures of them in the process of making and decorating their cookies and gave each girl a set of pictures ( so they will have memories of this time). We will make some cakes this year as well for them to share with their family.  They like making the cookies and bringing them to their peers in the program.   

These kids need love and need to know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. My girls asked me to stay their mentor all through high school as well. :) Isn't that cool?!

Tell the new mentors not to be hurt or put off if the kids seem distant at first. They will make a connection with one of them or if they are truly lucky, with all of them. Just be who you are and let your love shine through. 

I am 57 years old and have 3 grown kids of my own and 11 grandchildren and this mentor program has allowed me to care about even more kids.  I want a better life for my girls. They know if they stick with the program and get good grades, college for them will be a reality. 

Take care and thanks again for the wonderful program that I get to participate in and makes my life mean something.

God Bless You!!

Patti