MMP is proud to announce that the Match of the Month for October is a pair from our Young Parent program! Within MMP’s Young Parent program, young parents are given the opportunity to begin a mentored relationship with someone in the community to help provide them guidance, encouragement, support, and friendship. Our program asks that the mentor and mentee meet at least an hour a week together in activities that both the mentor and mentee can agree on. These activities include anything from trips to the park with the young parent’s child, or just talking one-on-one between mentor and mentee. While choosing this month’s match, MMP was unanimous when deciding that this recognition should go to Theresa Bettmann and her mentee.
Theresa and her Young Parent participant have been matched for over a year and they both agree that they have a great, open, and fun relationship. Theresa’s mentee shared with MMP that having Theresa as a mentor has helped direct her life in a better way. She has seen improvements in her child as well, and indicated that he has opened up much more. She stated that she, and her child, love spending time with Theresa because they have a very open relationship that is full of fun and laughter. Her advice for other mentees in creating a positive relationship includes the importance of staying open with mentors. She recommended mentees to not hesitate to admit when they need help, when they have a question, or when they just need to talk.
Theresa fully agreed with her mentee about their relationship. She said that working as a mentor with MMP has given her life a different and new perspective on single parenting. She shared that this relationship has given her hope to see a young, single mother and how great of a job she is doing with parenting. As a single mother herself, she sees how her mentee’s display of parenting can give hope to other single mothers that this job can be done, and done well. When asked about the advice she would give other mentors on creating a positive mentoring relationship, she stated that it was not always about giving advice. She believes that sometimes it is more important to just listen. Listen to their needs, their desires, and theirs dreams and try to figure out how you being a part of their life can help make these things happen.
MMP is so thankful to have this Match of the Month as a part of our program because their fun, supportive, and mutual friendship is what our Young Parent program is all about. We look forward to watching this match’s friendship grow for many years to come!