April's Mentor of the Month: Molly Alliano

April has come and gone, and a new mentor of the month has been selected. Congratulations Molly Alliano for being our April Mentor of the Month!!

Molly has been matched with her mentee since May 5^th, 2009, and they recently celebrated their four year anniversary! We have been so impressed with her dedication to her mentee and the mentor program over the years and are excited to show it. This school year we hosted a total of four mentor trainings, only requiring mentors to attend two out of five; however, Molly has gone above and beyond the required trainings by attending all four of the trainings, including an extra community event held by CADA! Not many mentors do this, so we truly appreciate Molly taking the extra time to seize every opportunity to educate herself, share her knowledge, and grow as a mentor.

When Molly and her mentee first met her mentee was only in fifth grade, and this year she will be graduating from junior high and entering as a freshman at Santa Barbara High School. As many of you might know, junior high is one of the most challenging times for our mentees, and in many cases mentors have to work hard to ensure that their mentee commits to their own success and the mentoring relationship. Molly has done a fantastic job of weathering these difficulties, and throughout her match she has provided her mentee with the resources and skills to ensure she becomes a healthy and productive teen. From helping her with her homework to making sure that she is always prepared for Karate practice, Molly is guiding her mentee through the challenges of adolescence with consistency and grace. On top of her work as a mentor, Molly recently started to volunteer at the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Barbara after attending our Winter Festival in December. We all know that personal “me” time is a precious commodity, and for Molly to give up her valuable time in order to volunteer for not one but several youth programs is truly something to applaud.  This is why we have selected Molly as April’s Mentor of the Month. Thank you Molly for being a fantastic mentor and friend to the youth of our community!