Annual Awards Celebration 2022 — Great Life Mentoring
Great Life Mentoring (GLM) is an evidence-based practice in which adult volunteers provide one-to-one mentoring to youth from low-resource families who are receiving outpatient mental health treatment. These volunteers are the heart of GLM. They positively impact the children’s lives by showing up each week and just being a friend. Throughout the year, GLM recognizes mentors for one-, five- and ten-year service milestones. This month, 17 mentors earned their one-year medallions (each has volunteered to continue beyond their one-year commitment!), eight are receiving an award for five years of service and two are receiving ten-year service awards. Congratulations to all these wonderful people and the kids who are so very fortunate as to receive their long-term faithful friendship.
The five- and ten-year milestones are particularly noteworthy because GLM’s required commitment is only one year, and the national average length of a formal mentoring relationship is 16 months (2016 National Mentoring Program Survey, MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership). We would like to honor those who have gone above and beyond in their commitments by sharing a little more about each of them with you.
Honoring Alan Rothstein
Five Years of Loyal Service
Alan Rothstein — Five Years of Service
Alan recently shared with GLM, “A famous bard once offered that the meaning of life is to find one’s gift, and giving it away is thus its' purpose. Perhaps he was on to something. He, amongst others.”
Alan’s long and varied career started decades ago in a cramped New York City apartment with five siblings and two loving parents. He tells us, “In the summer of 1967, before we could get into some serious trouble, my father dropped my twin brother and I at the doorstep of a sleep away summer camp for underprivileged kids. He advised the camp administrator that we could wash dishes, empty trash, assist counselors and fill in any void needed.” He continues, “Somehow the transition from errant youth to a contributing young adult found its origin in that summer. It has been a circuitous path since, but a common life thread was born that year.” Alan subsequently went into education at the middle school level and later found a career in the healing arts lasting 35 years.
He says the transition to GLM was a natural progression for him. “Though my medical career was coming to a conclusion, I inherently sensed that other doors would present themselves, and walking through them was an easy thing to do.”
He continues, "Those fortunate enough to be introduced to GLM, as a mentor or mentee, will find a supportive instructive staff willing to roll up their sleeves, wash dishes, empty trash and do whatever it takes to help repair a less than perfect world. It’s a wonderful place to spend some time.”
Alan’s original GLM friend is no longer in the area, so he will be meeting a new friend soon. “It’s just around the corner,” and he shares that his spirit is refreshed at the thought of it.
Honoring Nancy Newland
Five Years of Loyal Service
Nancy Newland — Five Years of Service
Nancy has been married for nearly 40 years, so she clearly understands commitment. She has three grown children and two grandchildren. She is a graphic designer and was previously a high school biology teacher.
When her career path changed, she was looking for a way to support a teen in need, and she found it with GLM. Nancy says, “My friend was 18 when we were matched just in the nick of time” (GLM matches youth ages 7-18). “It was a wonderful thing to behold—her steady transition from an anxious girl into a balanced woman. I had no magic touch, I was just an anchor of clarity in her life. She did all the work.”
Because Nancy and her friend both love nature and art, they used those types of venues to expand her confidence. Now at 23, her friend is married and has a child. Nancy considers it “an ongoing pleasure to walk along beside her as she continues to amaze me with her resilience.”
Though we could go on and on about how wonderful Nancy is (she voluntarily published two books for GLM in her spare time), she would like to use her spotlight here to encourage other mentors to consider a teenager. Her message to you is this: “Whatever worries you have about taking on an older child will melt when you have the one-on-one time that teen needs. They missed many opportunities to form safe bonds early on, and you may be their very last hope.”
Honoring Dan Soovajian
Five Years of Loyal Service
Dan Soovajian — Five Years of Service
Dan says much of his life centers around being a dad. “I love our little guy to pieces,” but when he has free time, he usually spends it gardening, working out, playing video games, or reading sci-fi. That’s what he says, though we also know he can often be found working through GLM emails and project plans as President of GLM’s Board of Directors.
Before volunteering for GLM, Dan felt like too much of his life was "me" centric and it needed to be balanced out. Volunteering provided an opportunity to make a tangible positive impact in someone else's life. He says, “what really stood out to me about GLM in particular was its effectiveness in driving positive change with the mentees and the very high retention rates of mentors who would stay for years and years. Something positive and wholesome was going on with the program, and I wanted to get involved.”
After mentoring and serving on GLM's board for several years, Dan says the one thing he’d like to highlight is the fantastic people who make the program possible. It's a big commitment to sign up to become a mentor, but the upside is that our mentoring community is filled with people who are passionate about helping kids. Participating in that community has been tremendous.
When it comes to his mentoring experience, Dan says early on there was a lot of one-way dialogue, and his friend was pretty shy. Over the years, he said, his friend’s personality has really emerged, and most of their outings are now just a string of ridiculous jokes and goofing around. “We've built a lot of trust over the years, and he's shared some really nice comments with me to make it clear he values our friendship.”
Honoring Maranda Heckler
Five Years of Loyal Service
Maranda Heckler — Five Years of Service
Maranda is a go-getter who has actively been pursuing life-goals and dreams since she joined GLM five years ago. She is currently a graduate student working on her Masters of Social Work at Capella University. Maranda also works as a Youth Case Manager at Columbia River Mental Health Services, has two cats and a dog, and enjoys almost any outdoors activity (hiking, paddleboarding, snowboarding), live music and anything Halloween or fall related.
Over five years ago when Maranda was finishing her Bachelor of Psychology degree at WSU Vancouver, she realized she was in need of experience working with individuals in the mental health field, so she reached out to GLM.
Her original intention was to stay for a year, gain experience and move on into her career. But after meeting with the friend she mentors, Maranda realized, “this was a human I wanted to be able to continue spending time with and be a part of their life journey.”
“Honestly," she says, “throughout the mentorship experience, I have had many of my own life changes and challenges and have been able to look forward to the time when we get to hang out and do crafts or be goofy on walks. Over time, my mentoring relationship has built more into a friendship, where my friend knows they can trust me to be there for them during hard times and celebrate their victories.”
Maranda reflects on one of her favorite moments of the past five years with her friend, “There was a period of time where my friend would ask if they could sing in my car. I remember them being so appreciative and shocked by not having someone tell them to “shut up” or giving them "mean" feedback.
In light of this article, Maranda asked her friend about a favorite moment as well, and they said "the first thing that always comes up in my mind is that one time we were in a forest, and I was talking about random stuff, and you didn't tell me to shut up or stop talking." Maranda would be happy for her friend to talk for hours. She is a relaxed, caring person who delights in others.
Maranda shared that when she first joined GLM, she remembers hearing someone talk about how this experience has not only benefited their friend, it also helped them to learn and grow through their own life experiences. She says, “I honestly thought it was a bit cliche, but I am so incredibly thankful to have joined this program. Knowing I am making an impact on someone else by allowing them to simply be themself and engage in activities that bring them joy, as well as have something to look forward to myself has been incredibly life changing.”
Honoring Reyna Winters
Five Years of Loyal Service
Reyna Winters — Five Years of Service
Reyna got involved with GLM initially through a club fair at WSU Vancouver. She was inspired by the woman she met that day who had “so many great stories about GLM.” Reyna could tell the woman genuinely enjoyed her time with the program, and it intrigued her to think there were still “great people doing amazing things to help others.” She says it gave her hope.
With that as her foundation, five years later Reyna says, “I continue to work with GLM because I know how impactful it has been on so many people's lives, and it has brought so many great memories and connections.”
Reyna and her friend saw each other weekly for the first 18 months, then she moved to the Eastern Washington to continue college. Since moving, Reyna and her friend see each other every few months, depending on weather.
She says the first year of weekly outings helped to build a strong foundation, which has allowed them to continue seeing each other without awkwardness when they reunite. They also share phone calls, texts or cards in the mail. Reyna says it helps that her friend is a “great conversation starter.”
Reyna is impressed by how much her friend cares for others. She says, "she’s a really special kid, and I'm so grateful GLM brought our lives on the same path. Nowadays, our outings feel like old friends catching up. She is such a joy. We were just talking about how we don't know how it's already been five years, it flew by so fast.”
Reyna graduated from college and works as a 911 dispatcher. She loves spending her free time with family and getting outside. She is pregnant with her second child, expecting a baby boy in April. But she still has time for her friend who she says she has “a ton of fun with.”
Reyna says "GLM is a great opportunity for anyone looking for extra joy in their life. It's a super rewarding program that brings a ton of new memories to multiple peoples lives, and there's a whole community of people doing the same thing.”
We love how Reyna didn’t let the miles distance her mentoring friendship. She has remained committed and has a life-long friend as a result.
Honoring Robert VonZopf
Ten Years of Outstanding Service
Robert VonZopf - Ten Years of Service
Robert is a laid back and easy going person who you can often find digging in the dirt or walking his dog, Hank.
It was ten years ago that Robert thought, “I have some time to volunteer, and I’d like to spend time with kids,” so he sought out GLM.
He has enjoyed good days of fishing, riding bikes, basketball, soccer, skipping rocks and going to lunch with his friend. He says it has been a pleasure to see growth in their relationship.
Robert’s friend is someone he genuinely cares about, and while they’re not able to be in close touch currently, he is hopeful their paths will cross again. He says “GLM has been a wonderful program to experience mentoring. They have been very supportive through the entire process.”
Like many GLM mentors, this story isn’t one that can be shared publicly. But we’d like to share that Robert’s faithfulness and sincere care for his friend has inspired GLM staff and board members, and we thank him for his commitment these ten years. Robert is a perfect example of what keeps the GLM team committed to our own service as well.
Honoring Tammy Hovland
Ten Years of Outstanding Service
Tammy Hovland — Ten Years of Service
Like all Great Life mentors, Tammy has her own unique story. Ten years ago, she wanted to “volunteer and give back to my community” because she is happiest when serving others. Mentoring felt challenging and inspiring to her, so she made the one-year commitment.
Tammy works as a project manager for an educational consulting nonprofit, and she has a Bachelor’s and Master’s in mathematics.
Here is how she tells her mentoring story. “We started out as a mentor and mentee. I mentored her, but it turns out she has mentored me, too.” Tammy says she has learned “so much” from spending time with her friend. They realized early on they liked spending time together, talking and learning from each other and going on adventures.
The original expectation was that mentors would spend two hours per week with their friend, but Tammy and her friend usually ended up spending the whole day together. She says they have supported each other through many life experiences.
Tammy even moved to South Dakota for a year, but she and her friend continued to connect on a regular basis. “Year after year,” she says, “we have grown closer and closer, and now, we are family.”
These two friends did a variety of things during their mentoring time together. Tammy says her friend was very open to any and all activities. Sometimes Tammy planned the activity and sometimes her friend did, but she thinks the best activities were when they didn't plan anything and ended up having a great time.
Some favorite spots were walking along the Columbia River and talking, exploring the woods by Lake Vancouver, sitting in a coffee shop talking about their week, or trying to find a way to have a free day. In all their years together, they have spent little-to-no money on outings!
In short, Tammy says mentoring has been “the best decision I've made. It changed my life.” She says, “I know that sounds like our GLM catchphrase, but mentoring my friend has given me a purpose and tons of joy.”