Life in Full Bloom — Cindy Fritz
Cindy's mom suffered from bipolar disorder, depression and alcoholism. She slept most of the day and was in foul moods for the rest, so nine-year-old Cindy often sought refuge at her neighbor’s homes.
Joy and Jim lived across the street. They were retired and had a beautiful marriage. Joy taught Cindy to play the piano and always had freshly baked cookies ready for her. June lived next door. She taught Cindy to sew, and they listened to old music together. Cindy remembers June making lunch--usually a three-bean salad with too much vinegar. She laughs when she describes it: “I loved June and remember thinking that a big glass of water could help me swallow it down. So, I always asked for a big glass of water. I just wanted to be there.”
When Cindy was with her neighbors, life was different.
Cindy reflects, “Maybe I forced myself into their lives, but I was so happy to be in their homes. I didn’t talk about what was happening at my house because that would bring me down. I just showed up, and they invited me in.”
Twenty-five years later, Cindy was thriving: She was educated, working in Accounting and Human Resources, volunteering at her church and licensed as a pastor. But Cindy didn’t necessarily get joy from her work. She asked herself, “What does being a pastor really mean to me personally?” What she really wanted was to bring kindness and goodness into peoples' lives. She thought, “if there is anything I'm passionate about, it’s expressing in action, not just words, what you believe.”
Just as Cindy was contemplating her future, she heard about a job opening at Great Life Mentoring. It would mean a pay cut, but Cindy talked with her husband, and they agreed that working for Great Life Mentoring was the opportunity she'd been looking for, so she pursued it. “It was even better than I thought it might be,” Cindy says. “The whole journey has been one of growth. I have faith in the people and vision, and most importantly, I see myself in these kids.”
Cindy was surprised just how much she would get out of working for Great Life Mentoring. When she heard the phrase “healthy boundaries” at her first day of training, she thought to herself, “what are you talking about?” She now says, “learning to say ‘no’ has changed my life.”
Eventually, Cindy was the one training all the volunteers. She devoted herself to her work and became an expert. She became the best mentor she could be. She was sensitive and caring to every person who crossed her path. She volunteered, studied and lived out the values consistently, year after year. Cindy never asked a volunteer to do something she herself wasn’t doing. That’s a Great Life Mentoring trademark at all levels of the organization: We model to the mentors what we want them to model to the children.
Cindy says she is surprised and humbled by the opportunity she’s had to positively influence so many lives. Over the past 17 years, Cindy has personally and directly impacted over a thousand lives. “That’s huge and really humbling to think about.”
She continues,
“I see how much people are affected by mental health conditions and how vital it is to have a caring connection with healthy people. Our mentoring model is unique, and when GLM kids come to understand that they are worthy of love and belonging, it changes everything.”
Being on the front lines for over 35,000 hours, Cindy has witnessed incredible life-changing stories, and this fuels her desire to see Great Life Mentoring succeed.
“It’s so exciting for me to see Great Life Mentoring involved in next-level research, become a 501(c)(3) and eventually expand to serve more children.” Cindy says, “We are paying attention to the kids in the hardest-hit areas. We recognize their value and worth and want to change the trajectory of their futures. It’s so important. And it feels amazing for me to be part of it, because I was one of these kids.”
No one has seen Great Life Mentoring's impact more than Cindy Fritz. She has found the ideal vocation, shared her goodness a thousand-fold and the world is more beautiful because of it.
