By Julie Summers

Special to the Islands’ Sounder

Debbie Collins remembers her initial hesitation about becoming a mentor.

“I didn’t feel like I would be any good at being a mentor,” she said. “I never had any children, so I didn’t know what it was like to have kids around.” Besides that, Collins was concerned about the long-term commitment. But eight years ago, she took the plunge, became a mentor to then 5-year-old Alyssa Gallagher, and hasn’t looked back since.

Collins and Gallagher, now 13, are just one of over a dozen current pairs matched by the Lopez Island Family Resource Center’s Mentor Program.  Since 1997, the program has been matching island youth with responsive, reliable adult friends.  Mentors are asked to commit to meeting regularly with their mentees, ideally for at least an hour a week.  Collins and Gallagher often spend three or more hours together each week.

Collins is quick to point out that the mentor-mentee relationship is far from one-sided.

“I’ve learned a lot from her, as she has from me,” she said.

The pair often work on arts and crafts projects together, something Collins says she excelled at and drew strength from at a young age.

She has seen that same aptitude and increased confidence in Gallagher: “I see this young woman who is ready to tackle lots of things.”

United Way of San Juan County makes the program possible by providing funding for a mentor coordinator, a position Mikah Smith has held since last year. In this capacity, he recruits mentors, provides periodic training and ongoing support, and organizes special events for mentors and mentees.  This year, he hopes to find at least five new mentors – one for each child currently on the waiting list.

Collins says the greatest challenge of her mentoring experience, without a doubt, was taking that first step. She understands firsthand the fear of jumping in, the feeling that you don’t have anything to offer. But she encourages potential mentors to set aside their fears and give it a try.

“If you don’t try it, how are you going to know if you like it or not?” she said. “I think a young person is worth taking a chance.”

To support United Way of San Juan County, mail your gift to P.O. Box 3181, Friday Harbor, WA 98250 or online at www.unitedway-sanjuancounty.org.

Summers is a writer for the Lopez Island Family Resource Center