Residents find friendship through mentor program
Toolbox
By Josh O'Gorman STAFF WRITER - Published: October 19, 2009
SPRINGFIELD – On a recent crisp fall morning, Ed McQuaide and Dan Booker sat in McDonald's restaurant – Booker, eating a hash brown and drinking orange juice – before the two embarked on a day of moving 3 tons of pellets to McQuaide's house.
The chore is more than just work; the two are bonding.
For the past five years, McQuaide, 61, has served as mentor to 18-year old Booker as part of a program that brings together adults and children through the Three River Valley Regional/Business Partnership, which began in the mid-1990s as part of a school-to-work program, said Partnership Executive Director Marie Gelineau.
"We realized that a great way to prepare young people was to pair them up with a mentor, and many of the mentors come from the business community," Gelineau said.
McQuaide, as general manager of Kelley Sales & Service in Springfield, certainly comes from the business community, and six years ago, Gelineau reached out to him and asked him to volunteer. During his first year, he participated in the "Let's Do Lunch" program, in which a mentor meets with a child at school during his or her lunch hour.
During his first year, McQuaide met with a sixth-grade student at Riverside Middle School who later moved away, and during his second year he began to do lunch with Booker, but was frustrated by the short time the two had together.
"We only had 20 minutes to solve all of the problems in the world. It wasn't enough time," McQuaide said, and two began to meet outside school hours, beginning with a trip on Booker's 14th birthday to Claremont, N.H., to buy free weights.
McQuaide and Booker's mentoring partnership is one of about 65 in Springfield, Gelineau said. All prospective mentors are fingerprinted, undergo a background check and must provide references. Many mentors come from the central office of the Springfield School District, including Superintendent Frank Perotti.
"One of my concerns as a superintendent is that it's really easy to become distanced from the students, so anything you can do to stay connected to them is a good thing," Perotti said Wednesday afternoon after his lunch with a pupil at Park Street School. "It's just a really nice way to connect with a child and be a friend."
Booker, who is working toward his high school diploma with Vermont Adult Learning, is certain that McQuaide's mentoring has changed his path in life.
"Back in eighth grade, I was drinking and using marijuana, but I guess it (the mentoring program) changed my point of view," said Booker, who is looking to pursue a career in criminal justice and perhaps become a game warden. "But I haven't touched any substance in a while."
Booker also noted how he didn't follow the path of many of his friends who dropped out school during their sophomore year.
"They always thought it (school) was a waste," he said. "They'd rather go out and drink and party."
The relationship between mentor and child will often continue long after the child enters adulthood. Perotti said he still receives phone calls on Father's Day and his birthday from a woman he mentored 30 years ago when she was a girl.
"This could be a life-long relationship," McQuaide said. "We've become friends and friends can stay in touch forever."
Gelineau said there is always a waiting list for children who are looking for mentors.
To volunteer, or to learn more about the program, call 885-8314.
josh.ogorman@rutlandherald.com
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