views
Smith Mediation Center
Divorce Mediation
guest column
Mentors Needed
P
M
ediation is an alternative that can help you retain more
time, money, and privacy during your legal battle.
Barbara Smith, J.D., former district court magistrate
and administrative law judge with more than 25 years of legal
experience, lends her unique blend of reason, calmness and
tenacity to the process, helping guide opposing parties to mutually
agreeable solutions. She has successfully mediated hundreds of
cases over the past decade.
Bloomfi eld Hills | 248.646.8000
www.michigan-divorce-mediation.com
2044050
atrice A. knew that raising girls was going to be hard
so she called for reinforcements.
Help arrived in the form of Tammy Kahan and
Marlene Lafer. As volunteers in Jewish Family Service’s
Mentor Connection program, the women play a critical
role in the lives of twins Keniah and Kentrice, helping them
develop social skills and build confidence, just by participat-
ing in activities they enjoy.
Debbie Feit
In addition to movies and shopping, Tammy enjoys tak-
ing Keniah to places she’s never been before, like Eastern
Market, where the 12-year-old tried many new foods. “She
didn’t love everything, but at least she was exposed to new
things,” Tammy said. “I also took her to the River Walk and
Campus Martius. She was surprised there was another coun-
try right across the water.”
Kentrice, whose mentor is Marlene, enjoys having her
around. “She’s very nice and she tells me the right things to
do,” she says.
January is National Mentoring Month and research shows
that students with mentors have better school attendance
and are 55 percent more likely to be enrolled in college.
Mentors can play a critical role and make a significant
impact in the life of a youth.
“Tammy and Marlene take the girls to the library to do
homework,” says Patrice,
who credits the mentors
for the girls’ success in
school; both Keniah and
Kentrice have received
scholarships to Notre
Dame Preparatory.
Although she had
volunteered for her
synagogue, Hillel and
some Federation events,
Tammy wanted to do
something more mean-
ingful. “My mother
passed away when I was
young, and my brothers
Mentor Tammy Kahan and her mentee Keniah and I would have really
benefited from having
a mentor,” she says. She
contacted
Mentor
Connection,
a
non-sectarian
program
details serving Oakland County.
Mentor Connection
“We match youth with volunteer mentors who make a
is currently in need
one-year commitment to meet with their mentee twice
of male mentors,
a month for activities they both enjoy,” says Michael
although we
Kelmenson, MSW, Youth Initiatives Program Coordinator at
encourage all who Jewish Family Service. “We host several activities each year
are interested to for all mentors and mentees, such as a summer barbecue,
contact Michael trip to the cider mill and movie night. We try to get dona-
Kelmenson at tions to subsidize what our mentors pay for out of pocket.”
(248) 592-2264
Becoming a mentor requires more than filling out an
or mkelmenson@ application and coming in for an interview. Thorough back-
jfsdetroit.org. ground checks are conducted, and once an applicant has
passed, they go through training before they are officially
accepted. Only then will a match be made.
“I don’t feel that Keniah and I hit it off right away because
we are both really shy,” Tammy says. “But I didn’t give up, and
we’ve been together for two years. She is still a little shy, but
talks a lot more.”
Mentors can do more than impact the lives of children;
they can make a huge difference for the parents as well.
“Just having an extra person for my girls to talk to has
been fantastic,” Patrice says. “They say it takes a village to
raise a child. Well, I have my village.” •
Debbie Feit is the communications manager at Jewish Family Service.
10
January 26 • 2017
jn