For Lindsay
I Believe You Can Fly!

Kids are at risk. It isn't only parents who are responsible for the rearing of our children. It's all of us. We all have a responsibility to guard and protect the children of our future. To hold them safe. To watch for warning signs. To intercede on their behalf. To help them learn to read, or to keep them from becoming bored in school. To give them a glimpse into what they could be.

Parent or no, you will be impacted by the future of this generation, and therefore you have a stake in preventing a tragedy from happening. You have an obligation to guide and to help. Are you retired or employed? A clerk, manager, artist or a CEO? Disabled or an athlete? Do you have 60 minutes a week to offer? Whoever you are and whatever you do, you have something to share, and something to offer. Just an hour a week - that's all it takes. That hour you might spend watching a soap opera, taping a movie, weeding the garden, getting your nails done, having a beer with the guys, playing a hand of bridge or poker, shopping in a mall, playing with a webpage. Sixty minutes to spend with a child. To throw a ball, play a game, surf the Net, teach them to read, plant some flowers and watch them grow, do a puzzle, help with homework, teach them to play the piano, sing, build something or make cookies. To reach out and help them grow strong and brave and true.

They need us. They need us all.

It's not just up to the birth, foster or adoptive parents. Not just up to the teachers, little league coaches or Girl and Boy Scouts. It's up to all of us who have a stake in the future. It's a small investment, and you may never know if it paid off. But participating in the journey is worth the price of admission. Call a local school. Participate in a literacy program and teach a child to read. Can't come to them? I'll bet they can find a way to get to you. There are kids out there who need us. ALL of us. They need what you have to give. It's sitting right there in front of you. Your interest. Your talent. Your job. Your passion. Your patience. It's right out there in front of your nose. You can give it away to someone who is waiting to catch it.

Every week for at least one hour I made a committment to be there for Lindsay. Just to be there and be a friend. Some weeks were hard. I was tired, or I had personal things on my mind, or I just didn't want to walk away from something at work I was in the middle of. But I had made a committment, and one of the worst things you can do to a child is break a promise. So I went. And it never failed that I came back to my desk with a lighter heart and a smile. Such is the joy of being a mentor. You can't always solve their problems. You can't always coax them into confiding in you. But you can always be there so they know you care, you keep your promise, you mean what you say and you can give them a hug.

If you are an employer, consider finding a neighborhood school you can work with and allow your employees an hour away from work to do this. Or find another volunteer program your company can particpate in as a group. Increased productivity is a benefit of allowing your employees to participate in their community and to give back.

One word of caution. In being a mentor you undertake a committment to a child. A child who may have come to understand hurt. A child who may have come to accept neglect. The single most important thing you can give that child is stability. If you make this committment, keep your promise. There will be days when you can't be there. Make sure you call or send a message. Make sure that child knows he wasn't forgotten, or passed by because something more amusing came up. The greatest gift you can give is your time, your caring, stability and the occasional hug.

Try it. You will be forever changed.

Be a mentor. Give some stability, be a role model, teach a troubled child how to laugh. Give a hug. Keep a promise.

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