From a Mentor's Perspective

Holly Burris:

Priest, The Church of the Epiphany

WHY I MENTOR? "I mentor because our children are the future of this country and this world. Literacy and education are paramount to equip our children to grow into citizens who can fully participate in the shaping of our society. One of my favorite quotes is from Mother Teresa: "We can do no great things, only small things with great love." Mentoring may seem like a small thing but I believe that growing these children's literacy skills and reinforcing the positive values of the character traits stressed in the Family Biz Builder program each child has the potential to transform the world."

Here’s Pastor Holly with her mentees: Isaiah C. and Dominique T. The remote mentoring started due to the COVID-19 pandemic when the school and after school programs closed. Since March 2020, they both have shown tremendous growth while spending time with their mentor in the Remote Literacy and Education Program. For example, Dominique, a fourth-grader, started in March reading at a third-grade level. As of July 2020, she is topping the fourth-grade level and sneaking into a fifth grade level. Isaiah, a fifth-grader, has shown constant improvement and an increase in the Lexile level. They are both excited to have a mentor to talk to and guide them with encouragement!