“Magic of Mentoring” dinner inspires, celebrates Starfish mentors

February 9, 2009 – Mentors were entertained with a little sleight of hand, inspired to keep making a difference to Starfish Scholars and honored by Starfish staff and friends at the annual Mentor Appreciation Dinner held in late January.

This year’s event celebrated the “Magic of Mentoring.” During the dinner, four magicians performed tableside magic tricks to the delight of mentors.

The highlight of the evening was an inspiring address given by President and CEO of the Indiana Youth Institute Bill Stanczykiewicz.

Stanczykiewicz shared trends in child welfare and academic achievement and noted how lower test scores and kids raised in poverty are creating a scary future for families and business.

“Those same parents told researchers that they are scared to death that their kids won’t be able to get a job in the 21st century to support themselves. These parents… they don’t know how their kids are going to get there and they don’t know how to help them,” Stanczykiewicz said.

The answer, he said, is a caring adult stepping into the lives of students and encouraging them that success is for them.

“When we look at the real issue affecting kids – we don’t have a child problem, folks, we have an adult problem. We have a choice: We can curse the darkness …or we can get involved in the meantime,” he said.

“In a time, in an era when people are literally scared to death because of their economy and are wondering about their own personal futures, you are stepping out in the darkness with your candle and saying, ‘As long as I’m on planet earth, this will not stand in the life of this child. I will celebrate the joys and walk with them during the times of pain, so that when they are in college, they still say you’re my friend, I just passed my test, or got an internship’,” he continued.

Throughout the evening, drawings for door prizes were held. Mentors won prizes from free games of bowling to museum passes or theatre tickets to an overnight hotel stay in recognition of their volunteer efforts.

Five mentors were honored who had been matched with students at the beginning of their high school career and were now helping their senior Scholars make plans for college.

The annual Mentor Appreciation Dinner is always held in January, in recognition of National Mentoring Month.

This year’s event was generously sponsored by Huntington Bank and Marian Inc.