metro

Profound Impact

CAMP MAAS

Mentors make a difference in the
lives of young people.

Tamarack Camps' Board of Directors invites you to the

2014 ANNUAL M ETIN

Dan Trudeau

I Special to the Jewish News

Camp Maas — The New "Old" Amp
4361 Perryville Road, Ortonville, Michigan

Jeffrey Sternberg

President's Award Recipient

Casual attire / Brunch will be provided (Dietary laws observed)

Please understand that we are unable to accommodate camper visits.

For additional information: (248) 627-2821, www.tamarackcamps.com

I fi

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OF METROPOLITAN DETROIT

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32

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lot has changed since
Jerry Weinfuss and Daniel
Whetstine first met six years
ago. Jerry vividly recalls the chal-
lenge of getting to know the taciturn
13-year-old who was matched up as
his mentee.
"When we met, he wasn't getting
along with his parents. He wasn't doing
well in school," said Jerry, an insurance
salesman who lives in Farmington
Hills and attends services at Temple
Israel. "It was kind of interesting as
we tried to get to know each other for
the first six months or so. It took me
that long to get more than a yes or no
answer from him:'
Jerry and Daniel were introduced
through Mentor Connection, a pro-
gram of Jewish Family Service that
pairs caring adult volunteers with
young people, ages 7 to 17, from
around Oakland County. The program
asks volunteer mentors to meet for
social outings with their mentees at
least twice a month for one year and to
participate in organized group events.
The nature of the relationship
between mentor and mentee is often
simple: just spend time together.
But the impact can be profound. In
Daniel's case, Jerry has been a steady-
ing presence as he's navigated the pro-
cess of growing up.
"When I got to know him, I realized
we have a lot of things in common,"
Daniel said. "I have a lot of people in
my life, but there's not many people
I could tell everything to, and he was
one of them:'
Middle school and high school were
challenging times for Daniel. He had
to cope with his parents' divorce, find
an approach to academics that worked
for him and learn to make positive
decisions when confronted with dif-
ficult situations.
Throughout that time, Jerry was
there as a friend and impartial sound-
ing board. He was impressed with
Daniel's creativity, his interest in art
and his talent for music. Jerry said he
saw tremendous potential for Daniel's
future, even when his mentee encoun-
tered struggles and setbacks.
"Over time, he developed a trust in
me. He started to realize I was there to
be a friend, not his parent," Jerry said.
"It got to the point where I started hav-

A

INSTALLATION OF THE NEW BOARD

Daniel Whetstine and his mentor
Jerry Weinfuss

ing real conversations with him. We
talked about what was important to
him and what was important to me:"
Daniel aged out of the Mentor
Connection program last year, and he
recently moved to the Kalamazoo area
with his mother, but his relationship
with Jerry didn't end. They've contin-
ued to speak about once a week.
Daniel recently graduated from high
school, after Jerry encouraged him to
enroll in online classes when conven-
tional approaches weren't a good fit.
He also got his first job and is learn-
ing how to drive. He plans to enroll in
community college soon and one day
wants to be an English teacher.
"[Jerry] has really helped by being a
good influence in my life. He's inspired
me to move forward and just keep
doing what I'm doing," Daniel said.
For Jerry, the experience of watch-
ing Daniel progress and grow over the
course of six years has been its own
reward. It's required a significant com-
mitment of his time and energy, but
it's an investment he is glad he's made.
"For the first couple years it was a
real struggle for me to see if I was hav-
ing any impact. But I've watched him
grow tremendously," said Jerry. "His
mother keeps telling me that he would
have been lost without my involve-
ment. That's made me feel really
good:'
To learn more about becoming a
mentor, or about finding a mentor for
your child, visit www.jfsdetroit.org/
volunteers/mentor-connection, or con-
tact Emily Croitori at (248) 592-2317.

❑

Dan Trudeau is the communications
manager at Jewish Family Service of
Metropolitan Detroit.

July 17 • 2014

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