Valley Forum: Mentoring Alliance toasts 20 years

After 1,700 mentoring matches, the ‘odyssey’ continues|

What began as a grant opportunity to all California public school principals during the tenure of Gov. Gray Davis turned into a nationally acclaimed mentoring program in Sonoma Valley.

In 2016, in our 20th year of mentoring in the Valley, it’s important to look back at how this occurred.

During the governorship of Davis, his wife Sharon was very much a proponent of mentoring. Of all the public school principals in Sonoma Valley, only one, Sandy Zimmerman of Flowery Elementary, decided to apply for the grant. She tapped PTA President Kathy Witkowicki to co-author the grant with her. Now, those were the days before the internet, so planes, trains and automobiles later, Sandy and Kathy, took the written grant proposal, got in the car and headed to Sacramento to deliver the proposal on the due date. Foul weather, car trouble, a broken traffic light and a dash to the state capitol rendered the grant proposal stamped and on time for the 5 p.m. deadline.

What transpired was a three-year grant from the state Department of Education that funded the startup of “Project Libros” at Flowery Elementary. While this grant was initially created to assist the students of Flowery Elementary to improve their reading skills by matching them with adults who could assist them with reading, it quickly became apparent to Kathy that what was really needed was a program to meet the social and emotional needs of the kids, rather than just focusing on their reading capabilities.

Next, through the support of local philanthropist Niels Chew, who assisted Kathy in her goals for the mentoring program, and a group of good ol’ boys, who became the first board of directors (Bob Records, Tom McCune, Jim Lamb, John Brady and Jim Kuhns), a 1996 nonprofit designation of the Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance was born. The Mentoring Alliance program, “Stand by Me,” had a mission statement that paired caring adults with children in need of social and emotional support so they would flourish.

Tina Baldry, our program director, joined the Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance in 2000 and, after 16 years, has created some of the most amazing enrichment programs for our matches, including classes in art, music, team building, sporting events and live theater. In 2008, Tina also had the vision and developed Road Map to Your Future, a highly inventive way to enhance the already successful mentoring program, by opening our mentees eyes to the varied businesses and opportunities around the Bay Area.

Flash forward – and we are in eight mentor centers on Sonoma Valley Unified School District campuses, from elementary to middle to high school. We also mentor at Hanna Boys Center on Sundays, for the boys who don’t visit family that day.

The initial grant that started up our mentoring program is the only government funding that we have received to date. We are funded primarily by generous individual donors who share our passion and understanding of the value of the mentoring relationship. We also receive funds from non-governmental grantors and foundations, as well as some unique fundraising events with our community partners.

At this important anniversary, we want to acknowledge and thank all of the amazing people, who have made these 20 years possible and to share information about our 20th anniversary celebration.

We are in the relationship business and this “heart work” could not have been accomplished without the support and work of a team of people, moving through time with a common vision. Thanks go out to our founder Kathy Witkowicki, Program Director Tina Baldry, office manager Megan Hansen, our Mentor Center Facilitators, coaching staff, our Board of Directors, mentors, mentees, families of our mentees, donors, community partners, and our partnership with the Sonoma Valley Unified School District - without whom this success story would not be possible.

Miriam Webster Dictionary defines “mentor” as a trusted counselor or guide. The word comes from the literature of ancient Greece. In Homer’s epic The Odyssey, Odysseus was away from home fighting and journeying for 20 years. During that time, Telemachus, the son he left as a babe in arms, grew up under the supervision of Mentor, an old and trusted friend. When the goddess Athena decided it was time to complete the education of young Telemachus, she visited him disguised as Mentor and they set out together to learn about his father. Today, we use the word mentor for anyone who is a positive, guiding influence in another (usually younger) person’s life.

Today, at the Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance, we have paired more than 1,700 matches in our 20 years. We have over 450 active matches. We are celebrating our 20 years of mentoring in the Valley on Nov. 4 at Jacuzzi Family Vineyards from 6 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $50, available at https://celebratingmentoring.eventbrite.com

We will break bread together, enjoy delicious Jacuzzi family wines and have a special 20th anniversary dessert from Crisp Bakery.

For more information, contact the Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance at sonomamentoring.org

info@sonomamentoring.org. Call 938-1990.

Lee Morgan Brown is the executive director of the Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance.

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