We have much to celebrate already! And so much accomplishment in store! Big Congratulations to Hideki Matsuyama for winning the Sony Open this past Sunday! A lot of hard work and energy went into his victory and I'm confident he couldn't have made it without a mentor in his life who saw him and encouraged him. So in this win, I hope Mr. Matsuyama finds time to celebrate National Mentor Month with his mentor(s)!
What is National Mentor Month? Celebrated in January, it is a campaign designed to bring attention to the power of mentoring, how it enables people to unleash their full potential and promotes well-being in all walks of life. There is much to learn from our elders as well as our keiki! We celebrate National Mentor Month as an opportunity to develop well-being in our community.
Aunty Donna has been volunteering with us for over 7 years! Though she never had a mentee of her own, she dutifully served Common Grace! Lots of energy goes into bringing each mentor and mentee together every week and with Aunty Donna's help and many others in our Common Grace ohana, we have been able to do so successfully.
Although Aunty Donna didn't feel called to have a mentee of her own, she and our recent Creative Strategist, Leighna, had something that smelled a whole lot like the mentoring we bake in our schools. They shared C.A.K.E. (Compassion, Attention, Kindness, and Encouragement) weekly for years, checked in with each other, and worked together to help fulfill the Common Grace mission (providing someone who cares). What I'm finding important about mentoring is that it's a two-way street. It's not just the mentor asking how the mentee is doing, or what their favorite flavor of ice cream is, but the relationship develops when the mentee is also curious about their mentor. It's not just about serving C.A.K.E., it's receiving it! When people share C.A.K.E. something magical happens! Even though both Aunty Donna and Leighna no longer work for our organization they are Common Grace ohana, and continue to share C.A.K.E. to this day.
Our founder and staff celebrated lunch with Aunty Donna last Friday. In loving company, she shared with us how Leighna came by the night before with takeout. She and Leighna got to share a celebratory meal and bask in C.A.K.E.! I wouldn’t be surprised if there was actual cake there too ;) Happy birthday Aunty Donna, we love you!!!!!
This is National Mentor Month, and wherever you are I hope you have felt the impact of mentoring and/ being mentored. With C.A.K.E please continue to take part in relationships that last! And even if you haven't made it to one-on-one mentoring with us, thank you for supporting our soulful service! Through all the work that finds each of us, it is love and relationship that we hope perseveres. We get to see the value every day and it's more precious than the finest silver and gold. Mentoring matters to the soul! Until the next e-news.. Happy National Mentor Month!
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