The Impact of Integrity
Every month, we share a story about a child who has come from difficult circumstances and finds their way to Great Life Mentoring. Each time, we write the truth about the child’s life, but we change the names in order to protect their privacy, and we leave out any identifiable factors in order to be in line with national HIPAA privacy guidelines.
So what is left? The essence of the story.
And what do all the stories have in common? One brave child, one faithful mentor and several lives that are changed for the better. The ripple effects are not-yet fully measured, but there is no doubt they exist.
Here is another one of those stories.
Brittany suffers from major depression and anxiety. She has lived in the foster care system and has faced tremendous loss. She will never know her biological parents. So far, Brittany could be any one of hundreds of thousands of children in America. The difference with our girl is her mental health therapist referred her to Great Life Mentoring, where she has been spending time once a week, for more than a year, being supported by a Great Life mentor. Not paid to be in her life, this mentor has a unique ability to validate Brittany’s very existence. Her presence says, “I’m here for you because you are worthy of my time and attention. And what’s more, I like to be with you, and I’m not leaving.”
Brittany was very brave to say “yes” to having a mentor when so many people had already let her down in life. The weekly mentoring meant that Brittany would have to go out into the world more, which was hard for her. The result is that many months into the match, we’re receiving reports that Brittany is feeling better about the change in her loneliness and isolation and seeing results in improvement with her behavior and school performance. People around her are experiencing the change.
On a personal note, Brittany says it takes a long time for her to trust someone because of the hurt she has experienced, but now she can imagine having a life-long friend.
Some people really are honorable. They are faithful, stable and true, and it has a positive impact. Integrity is real, and you can find it at Great Life Mentoring. Contact Great Life Mentoring and volunteer to mentor a child. Volunteer in Portland OR or volunteer in Vancouver, WA. The life you change will certainly be the child’s, but it may also be your own and many others.