Mentoring

June 2008

Family Pathfinders of Tarrant County * PO Box 470869 * Fort Worth, TX 76147

817-731-1173 * www.familypathfinders.org

 

Community Corner

 

Free Summer Camp

 

 

 

 

Man in the Mirror has summer camps for tutoring in reading, math and classroom behavior.  They offer children and teens a safe, fun learning environment that includes a free lunch, activities and a learning curriculum.  For information call 817-922-5423.  If your client would like an application, I can mail or fax it to her/him.

Back to School

Is someone confused?  School is just now out for the summer!  Ironically, summertime is when parents should be thinking about uniforms and supplies for the school year.  Several agencies have programs during the summer to provide school supplies and uniforms for low-income families.  Please encourage your client to find out which serve his/her area of town and apply early.

Back to School Roundup

    www.backtoschoolroundup.org

Broadway Baptist Center

    817-336-7464 x.8249

Mission Arlington  817-277-6620

NICA  817-626-1102

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello Friends!

 

Mentoring changes lives!  You’ve heard that before.  But sometimes the changes are slow and subtle, and we don’t realize what changes are taking place.  Take the case of Kaitlyn.  When she was matched with her team, she was staying with her mother so she could get a ride to work; her car was totaled in an accident; she was confused about the insurance claim; she was working part-time at a minimum wage job.  After she was matched with a team of caring mentors, she received help with the insurance claim; she found the courage to start school; her team advocated for her in applying for educational funding; she gained a new self-confidence that she hadn’t experienced before; she found a higher paying job; she confided in her team about family issues.  Kaitlyn is committed to making a better life for her family.  She puts her three children to bed each night dressed for the next day.  She gets up each morning at 5:00 to take her children to her mother, who will take them to day care when it opens, and she is on the job at 6:30 AM.  Kaitlyn is not yet self-sufficient, but she knows that she is surrounded by people who care about her, and she is determined to continue down a path that will lead to financial stability for herself and her children.  We’re proud of Kaitlyn and her fabulous Mentoring team from University Christian Church and Arborlawn United Methodist Church!

 

Welcome to our newest Mentoring teams!  Sankofa is a team of parents associated with Kim’s House day care center.  Wondering what Sankofa means?  It’s an Akan word meaning “We must reclaim our past so we can move forward.”  A lot of meaning packed into one word!  These enthusiastic volunteers will be wonderful mentors!  The Crosspoint Fellowship team  of Aledo was trained in early June, and, with the support of their congregation, members are eagerly looking forward to being matched with their first family.

 

I have great news to share with you about a grant we received to expand our Mentoring outreach in Arlington!  Arlington Tomorrow, a foundation of the City of Arlington, has granted us $25,000 to serve low-income families.  We have always served families in Arlington, but this grant will allow us to provide mentoring to a broader population.  We are eagerly seeking more volunteers in Arlington to mentor new families.

 

Blessings,

Peggy

 

 

Live so that when your children think of fairness and integrity they think of you.

 

H. Jackson Brown Jr.   

                  

Food for Thought