The Jacksonville Children’s Commission is asking people to step up and become mentors.
The nonprofit organization is facing a shortage of grown-ups who want to help kids.
Kristin Murray leads mentor training sessions at the Jacksonville Children’s Commission.
And even though August and September are her busiest months, “We still do have a mentor shortage,” Murray said. “Especially in the department of males. We need more male mentors”
Thursday night there are five men in training, and they’re all sitting at one table in what looks like a classroom. Paul Gruenther says he wants to mentor for The Boys and Girls Club.
“To me it’s a pay-it-forward,” Gruenther said. “Let’s take care of these kids while they’re still in school. Let’s take care of them while they’re still growing up. Let’s teach him the kids that we all learned the hard way.”
He says he’s raised kids of his own, but he thinks the training will be helpful.
“They might be struggling,” Gruenther said. “Being able to have the patience to work with kids, to being able to have understanding as to what they’re going through. Being able to figure out how to work with them, and how to have fun with them.”
And Murray will teach that.
“You know sometimes people get into mentoring because they believe that young people are at-risk, but the truth is that we mentor people because they have value,” Murray said. “You need to listen to them because they’re desperately wanting to be heard.”
The Children’s Commission trains mentors who work with about a dozen First Coast organizations. Several training sessions remain in September.
