- February 7, 2025
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Port Orange resident Bob Davis and several other people are putting together an event in hopes of bringing in more mentors for area youth.
I was speaking on the phone with Davis, the president of the Halifax Lodging & Hospitality Association, when he mentioned the electronic ankle-monitoring program launched by the Volusia County Sheriff's Office for juvenile offenders. Davis made the point that the ideal scenario would be helping young men and women before they even get into the program.
It's a task that would take not only time and dedication but a true willingness to make a difference in young lives.
The Saturday, Oct. 28, event Davis and other organizers are putting on, Calling a Few Good Men, could be one way to find adults who want to help.
However, when the event is over there will still need to be people who can step up and be the individuals youth in the area can look up to. My question is, are there more adults out there that are willing to do just that?
Before you answer this question, let me you tell you my own personal story.
When I first moved to Port Orange I knew I wanted to become involved in some kind of charity organization. I wanted to give back in some way. After some searching I found a non-profit that was looking for a volunteer to work with teens. Many of them had troubled home lives and I was told as a volunteer, I'd be looked up to.
Every word I said, every action I took, even if I didn't think those teens noticed, would be taken into account, I was told. I went to one of the organization's events, met some of the teens and loved it. At that moment I thought this was what I was looking for.
Then I was given one more piece of information: there was a two-year commitment.
I thought about it, tried seeing how I would plan that into my schedule and came to the realization that I couldn't make that commitment. I wasn't proud to say it, but I told them I couldn't be a volunteer. Because those teens needed someone who wouldn't leave when they got bored, who would show up even when work piled up, someone who wouldn't walk out to take care of their own life first.
Eventually, I found another way to give back that was flexible with my ever-changing schedule. As for my point with all of this, it's that yes, we need mentors for youth in the area, but we also need mentors who can be there, who won't give up on children and teens, even when everyone else has.
I also have a challenge.
For those adults who can't take a child or teen under their wing, be the adult they would look up to in your everyday life. Don't roll your eyes at the person being slow at the checkout counter, pause before yelling at someone on the phone, take that extra minute to help someone else. We are being looked up to, whether we see it or not.
Not all of us can mentor an individual child, but all of us can be the person they want to emulate.
For more information on the Calling a Few Good Men event, call 386-235-5032 or email [email protected].
