Boys & Girls Club Blog

In honor of National Volunteer Appreciation Week, I wanted to take the time to write and say thank you to all of you who mentor here at the Boys & Girls Club of Oshkosh through our Great Futures Mentoring program. Believe it or not, the program launched 4 ½ years ago and we currently have 63 matches, with a goal to be at 70 by the end of the school year. So many wonderful things have happened in the program over the last few years, and I am so grateful for each and every mentor who has made an impact in kid’s life during that time. We have had about 109 middle and high school youth who have been positively impacted by mentors since the program has started.

Currently, in our 63 matches we have 5 matches that have been together over 4 years, 3 matches that have been together for over 2 years, and 6 matches that have been together for over 2 years, which is so cool! When a mentor volunteers, they are only asked to make a 1-2 year commitment, so these mentors have gone above and beyond what was expected and continue to make a difference in the life of their mentee.

I cannot begin to tell you the amazing things that I hear day in and day out from mentors, mentees, parents, school staff & faculty of all the great things happening because of this program:

• One of our freshman made the honor roll his first semester of high school because him and his mentor make homework and school a priority every week!
• One of our seniors was so excited, she shared with me and her mentor that she was officially accepted to Fox Valley Tech—before she even told her parents!
• A couple 8^th and 9^th grade students came into my office beaming because they had just found out they were hired for their first job!
• One of our juniors who has always struggled with reading has improved his reading level from 3^rd grade to 8^th grade in 1 ½ years!
• One of our 7^th graders experienced his first Brewers Game at Miller Park with his mentor and he had never been to any professional sports game before!

These are just some of the awesome things I get to celebrate on a daily basis, but it would not be possible if it were not for those who volunteer their time here at the Club. Without you all serving as mentors, we would not make the strong impact that we do. I am grateful for this amazing opportunity, and I LOVE being able to work with each and every mentor that volunteers their time here for our program. One of my favorite things to see is witnessing matches grow over the years and seeing our bright young students blossom into who they really are.

Thank you for make the decision to become a mentor, and thank you for deciding again and again to continue to make a difference in the life of a youth!

By: Carlea Liermann
Great Futures Mentoring Coordinator