Volunteer Recognition
Our programs would not be successful without the tremendous dedication of our volunteers. Whether at our annual Volunteer Appreciation Night, being recognized as a Mentor of the Month, or getting a simple word of encouragement, we strive to acknowledge all the hard work our mentors put into making our program great.
Mentor of the Month
Andrea Cilliers- November 2018
Andrea and Christina have been matched since March 2018. During that time, they have built a strong, stable friendship. They enjoy doing a variety of things together, including shopping, going out to eat, and having good conversations. Not only do they appreciate the fun moments with one another, but enjoy setting short term goals for Christina. As Christina draws closer to transitioning out of care, she's become more interested in accomplishing life skill goals. Andrea has been a great resource for Christina, helping her study for her learner's permit test and giving her tips for job interviews. Half way through their friendship, Christina moved to a few different placements and the instability took a toll on her. However, the setbacks in Christina's life did not slow their friendship down; rather, it strengthened their mentoring relationship. Andrea consistently kept Christina engaged in the program, became a good listening ear, and as Christina would say "gave the best advice". Recently, Andrea noticed Christina didn’t have all of the necessities for a Thanksgiving dinner, so she spent the morning grabbing a few items with Christina. Christina made a beautiful Thanksgiving spread for her family and took the time to express her appreciation for Andrea for all of her support and friendship during the past few months. Andrea continues to build her trust and friendship with Christina by being a consistent friend, positive influence, and providing her a fun and peaceful environment.
1. What’s your fondest memory from spending time with your mentee?I am very fortunate that my mentee is open to whatever I present to her. After just one month of meeting each other, I asked her if she would like to meet and do hill sprints near her house. When I first told her about the activity she jumped at the chance and when I asked her if she was willing to meet at 7 a.m., she remained just as enthusiastic. Despite not being a morning person, she was ready to go when I picked her up and we proceeded to the hill. She didn’t complain and took the challenge on even though it was challenging. I was so proud of her for pushing herself and for sticking with it. After the run she asked me if I was interested in attending the March on Capitol Hill for gun violence and this time it was my turn to jump at the opportunity. We spent a powerful afternoon together and shared personal experiences with gun violence. I was touched by the whole day and cherished our time that I wouldn’t have experienced had I not been a part of BEST Kids and had her as my mentee.
2. Which was your favorite Peer Group?
My favorite Peer Group was a volunteer opportunity where we cleaned a woman’s apartment who lived in a senior living center. My mentee was thrilled to help someone else and she declared that it was her dream to work with seniors. I could see the joy on her face when the woman told us she was grateful for us and gave us all bear hugs. I loved seeing my mentee work diligently, speak positively about the activity, and that the activity provided some insight and inspiration for a future career. We hope to continue to volunteer with this organization on our own!
3. What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced since becoming your mentee’s mentor?
Understanding the social service sphere has been a great challenge. I see my mentee’s frustration with housing, resources, and support and it saddens me to think that she will be emancipated soon. Most resources available are contingent upon other factors which are often tricky to navigate or merely impossible without proper support. I find myself wanting to do more as I think back to my support systems when I was my mentee’s age. Regardless of what is going on in her life, I try to be a positive influence and create a peaceful and lighthearted environment whenever we are together.
4. What is your current job/career and what is something you enjoy about your work?
I work at the Department of State as an Equal Employment Opportunity Specialist in the Office of Civil Rights. For my job I get to travel around the world to the Embassies and Consulates and provide training on workplace discrimination and harassment. My work is very enriching because I get the opportunity to work on issues related to diversity and inclusion in our missions abroad, making sure people feel as though they can contribute to the mission and feel valued for being their unique contributions.
5. What are some of your hobbies/things you like to do in your free time?
I train for Para triathlon, triathlon for people with physical disabilities with an organization called Dare2tri. I love the thrill of competition and it is a great motivator when I don’t want to work out- I think of not racing to the best of my ability and that usually gets me out of the house to go run or swim at the local pool even in the dead of winter. If I’m not swimming, biking or running then I’m cooking and eating cheese with my wonderful husband.
Andrea and Christina have been matched since March 2018. During that time, they have built a strong, stable friendship. They enjoy doing a variety of things together, including shopping, going out to eat, and having good conversations. Not only do they appreciate the fun moments with one another, but enjoy setting short term goals for Christina. As Christina draws closer to transitioning out of care, she's become more interested in accomplishing life skill goals. Andrea has been a great resource for Christina, helping her study for her learner's permit test and giving her tips for job interviews. Half way through their friendship, Christina moved to a few different placements and the instability took a toll on her. However, the setbacks in Christina's life did not slow their friendship down; rather, it strengthened their mentoring relationship. Andrea consistently kept Christina engaged in the program, became a good listening ear, and as Christina would say "gave the best advice". Recently, Andrea noticed Christina didn’t have all of the necessities for a Thanksgiving dinner, so she spent the morning grabbing a few items with Christina. Christina made a beautiful Thanksgiving spread for her family and took the time to express her appreciation for Andrea for all of her support and friendship during the past few months. Andrea continues to build her trust and friendship with Christina by being a consistent friend, positive influence, and providing her a fun and peaceful environment.
1. What’s your fondest memory from spending time with your mentee?I am very fortunate that my mentee is open to whatever I present to her. After just one month of meeting each other, I asked her if she would like to meet and do hill sprints near her house. When I first told her about the activity she jumped at the chance and when I asked her if she was willing to meet at 7 a.m., she remained just as enthusiastic. Despite not being a morning person, she was ready to go when I picked her up and we proceeded to the hill. She didn’t complain and took the challenge on even though it was challenging. I was so proud of her for pushing herself and for sticking with it. After the run she asked me if I was interested in attending the March on Capitol Hill for gun violence and this time it was my turn to jump at the opportunity. We spent a powerful afternoon together and shared personal experiences with gun violence. I was touched by the whole day and cherished our time that I wouldn’t have experienced had I not been a part of BEST Kids and had her as my mentee.
2. Which was your favorite Peer Group?
My favorite Peer Group was a volunteer opportunity where we cleaned a woman’s apartment who lived in a senior living center. My mentee was thrilled to help someone else and she declared that it was her dream to work with seniors. I could see the joy on her face when the woman told us she was grateful for us and gave us all bear hugs. I loved seeing my mentee work diligently, speak positively about the activity, and that the activity provided some insight and inspiration for a future career. We hope to continue to volunteer with this organization on our own!
3. What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced since becoming your mentee’s mentor?
Understanding the social service sphere has been a great challenge. I see my mentee’s frustration with housing, resources, and support and it saddens me to think that she will be emancipated soon. Most resources available are contingent upon other factors which are often tricky to navigate or merely impossible without proper support. I find myself wanting to do more as I think back to my support systems when I was my mentee’s age. Regardless of what is going on in her life, I try to be a positive influence and create a peaceful and lighthearted environment whenever we are together.
4. What is your current job/career and what is something you enjoy about your work?
I work at the Department of State as an Equal Employment Opportunity Specialist in the Office of Civil Rights. For my job I get to travel around the world to the Embassies and Consulates and provide training on workplace discrimination and harassment. My work is very enriching because I get the opportunity to work on issues related to diversity and inclusion in our missions abroad, making sure people feel as though they can contribute to the mission and feel valued for being their unique contributions.
5. What are some of your hobbies/things you like to do in your free time?
I train for Para triathlon, triathlon for people with physical disabilities with an organization called Dare2tri. I love the thrill of competition and it is a great motivator when I don’t want to work out- I think of not racing to the best of my ability and that usually gets me out of the house to go run or swim at the local pool even in the dead of winter. If I’m not swimming, biking or running then I’m cooking and eating cheese with my wonderful husband.
Current Mentor of the Month
Andrea Cilliers- November 2018
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Past Mentors of the Month |
2017 BESTie Awards
Mentor of the Year
Craig Capossela
Rookie the Year
Henry Wang
Most Mentoring Hours
Marie Cohen
Longest Mentoring Match
Megan Smith
Educational Strides Award
Jess Hammett
Life Skills Strides Award
Matt Curtis
Karen Boyd
Caregiver Connection Award
Ali Bonebrake
Go For the Goal Award
Jessica AbralindAdvocacy Award
Kim Waller
Most Consistent
Jeff Rubin
Socialization Strides Award
Irene Chan
Best Reporter
Marie Cohen
Most Creative Outings
Melissa Weise
Most Persistent
Emily Brown
Deirdre Donahue
Most Resilient
Laura McVey2017 BEST Kids Awards Recipients
Volunteer Appreciation Night
Every January, BEST Kids hosts a mentor recognition event. Mentors are presented with awards and honored for their service in the program from the past year by receiving a BESTie Award. Take a look at the video to see the fun we had celebrating our mentors!
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