EVERETT — Katie Crawford believes children deserve to have as many positive role models in their lives as possible.
That’s why, for more than a year, the AquaSox communications director has volunteered with Mentoring Children of Promise, a Volunteers of America program providing mentors for children with parents in jail or prison.
Crawford, 26, is following the example of her parents who worked in early education. For years she volunteered with children and worked as a nanny in college, witnessing firsthand the difference that committed grown-ups can make in children’s lives.
Crawford and the young woman she mentors like to go out for dinner, then head to Barnes & Noble to look at books and CDs. They’ve gone bowling and to the movies.
Crawford even went to a Twilight film, popular with teenagers, but not one of her favorites. The girl’s family had the mentor over for dinner, and Crawford invited them to AquaSox games.
“It’s amazing, the difference that mentors can make, even if they are only there once or twice a month,” she said.
The Western Washington branch of the program started in 2003 and currently has about 150 matches throughout the region, said Joell Coltrane, a recruiter for the program.
“You don’t have to have lots of money or a good job. Just be a good listener and have fun,” she said.
Coltrane is looking for new mentors, especially in the Snohomish area, where about 30 children last month were waiting for a match.
The program is for kids ages 4 to 18. Boys typically are matched with men, and girls with women. Couples who want to volunteer together also can be matched with a child.
Coltrane asks both mentors and kids for a two-year commitment, with face-to-face meetings a couple of times a month and weekly contact in between. Some matches are going on their fifth year. The pairs are encouraged to keep their relationships when the parent returns from prison.
“It’s an exciting time (when a parent returns), but it can also be a tough time,” Coltrane said.
For a Snohomish man whose wife was behind bars for 11 months, mentors proved to be like a breath of fresh air. He found himself having to explain to his two teenage children why their mother was in prison. The father asked that their names not be used.
They all were dealing with a wide range of emotions then. The father turned to Volunteers of America and enrolled in the program.
His daughter, a high school junior, was quickly matched with Crawford. His son, who will start high school next year, had to wait for about four months to get a mentor.
After mentors came into the teen’s lives, the father watched his children’s attitudes become calmer and more mature. He encouraged people to volunteer for the program, especially men.
“When I was sent to Volunteers of America, I thought it was just another organization, but it changed my life,” he said. “As soon as my life settles down a little bit, I will go to a volunteer training session.”
Katya Yefimova: 425-339-3452; kyefimova@heraldnet.com.
To learn more about Mentoring Children of Promise, go to www.voaww.org/mcp or contact Joell, 425-259-2973, ext. 2717, or mcp@voaww.org.
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