It was September 2016 when Cedric, a freshman at Springfield High School, was matched with a mentor, Rich Warren, Pastor at Trinity Missionary Church in Springfield. Today Cedric is in 10th grade, involved with ROTC, and wants to join the military after high school. We sat down with Rich and Cedric to learn what mentoring is like for them.
Q: What’s something you like about mentoring?
Cedric: You get time to see how other people’s lives are, how they feel.
Rich: I like talking together, helping him with homework sometimes, being part of his life.
Q: What do you do together?
Cedric: We might eat one week and read a book together the next week. We’ve gone to a park and played Frisbee golf.
Q: Any favorite memory or funny things that have happened?
Cedric: We were Frisbee golfing at Buck Creek State Park. We threw the Frisbee and it went the wrong way. We couldn’t find it and had to look for it the next week – but we found it!
Q: How does mentoring help you?
Cedric: I get time with just my mentor, talking about how my week went, getting stuff off my chest. Mentoring pushed me to get my first job – I just got hired at Kroger.
Q: Has anything surprised you about mentoring?
Cedric: I knew he was a pastor, but it surprised me when we went to his church and he let me play the drums one time.
Rich: It surprised me how easy it’s been to connect with Cedric.
Q: What’s something you like about each other?
Cedric: We always figure out a way to get together or at least connect by phone. And we laugh at the funniest things.
Rich: His dedication to meeting.
Q: What would you tell someone thinking about being a mentor?
Cedric: It’s a good time to get to know someone.
Rich: The small impacts you have on a kid’s life are really worthwhile.
Q: Anything else you want to tell people about mentoring?
Cedric: The bond you can have is really important. And you always have a good time.
Rich: I hope we can stay connected, even after he’s 18.
We currently have 11 boys and 5 girls on the waiting list for a mentor in Springfield. Want to learn more about how to become a mentor? Click here!