CAMP seeks mentors, observes National Mentoring Month

    PRESQUE ISLE, Maine – Being a successful mentor is being a friend, and there are many children in the region who need a friend.
    According to Carolyn Hildebrand, program coordinator for the Central Aroostook Mentoring Program (CAMP), the organization, which formed four and-a-half years ago, offers mentoring to children 7 to 18 years of age.
“We offer three programs,” said Hildebrand, “community-based, school-based, and site-based mentoring.”
With community-based mentoring, an adult spends three to five hours per week with the child.
“They do things that they both enjoy,” she said, “be it crafts, hiking, games, going to the movies, walking around the mall window-shopping … whatever they’d like to do together.”
Hildebrand said the organization currently has 156 children on its caseload and 25 of them are community-based matches.
The mentors go through an extensive background check to ensure the child’s safety.
“We check with the FBI for any types of arrests or abuse, we check with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, and we check their insurance to make sure they have the appropriate liability coverage,” said Hildebrand. “We also get five references and check with the Department of Human Services. With someone else’s child, you can never be too careful.”
The mentors receive training, and the children are then matched up with an adult based on “like activities.”
“I have a sheet that both the mentors and mentees fill out,” said Hildebrand. “I put them together by parental preferences, and also by like activities … things they would both enjoy doing.”
Presently 17 kids take advantage of the school-based services.
“High school students in Fort Fairfield, Caribou, and Presque Isle mentor elementary and middle-school students,” Hildebrand said. “There’s an advisor to the program in each school, and the students spend about an hour to an hour-and-a-half one day a week with the younger children.”
The students can help the youngsters with their homework, play games, or do crafts, but they cannot leave school grounds.
“There’s no outside contact … no phone calls to their mentors,” said Hildebrand. “It’s just on school grounds, but it’s an after-school program.”
The high school students must submit three letters of reference (one teacher, one parent and one friend), and undergo a “minimal background check.”
The site-based mentoring is not as popular as the other two programs; however, Hildebrand said she hopes it will eventually become just as successful.
“Perhaps one day I’ll plan to have a guest speaker come in and talk about nutritional snacks,” she said, “or building self-esteem. We had a police officer come in and talk about crime in the area … things like that.”
The site-based mentoring is open to any child involved in CAMP and their mentors.
“The biggest problem we have with site-based mentoring is that we don’t have the transportation to get the kids to the program,” said Hildebrand. “That’s why very few kids show up.”
CAMP offers its services to children as far north as Stockholm and New Sweden, over to Ashland and Limestone and down to Mars Hill.
A program of Helping Hands for Children and Families, CAMP receives funding from the United Way of Aroostook, as well as other donations.
The organization also does its own fund-raising. It is gearing up for its biggest money-maker, an annual bowl-a-thon, scheduled for Saturday, March 3 at Northern Lanes in Presque Isle. The bowl-a-thon will be held in two, 2-hour segments – noon-2 p.m. and 2-4 p.m.
“We’ll be taking lane sponsorships in the amount of $100 from businesses, organizations and individuals, and teams of four are asked to collect pledges,” Hildebrand said, noting that last year’s bowl-a-thon raised nearly $10,000. “It’s a big fund-raiser for us.”
There will also be door prizes and trophies. Individuals collecting pledges of $50 or more will receive a free T-shirt.
Hildebrand explained that the mentees in the program are children ages 7 to 18 who are considered “at risk.”
“‘At risk’ is a very loose term,” she said. “A child can be from a well-to-do family and be ‘at risk’ for one reason or another.
“Maybe their school grades aren’t high enough, maybe both parents work and they’re home after school alone, or maybe they have other siblings in the family and the child needs self-esteem help,” she said, noting that she has never had to turn a child away from the program.
Hildebrand said CAMP is looking for more volunteers.
“We have a need for both male and female mentors,” she said, “but we have more male mentees, so we need male mentors.” Hildebrand said couples are also encouraged to inquire about mentoring together.
Officials said people are sometimes nervous about becoming mentors because they feel they don’t have enough time to give.
“It really doesn’t require a lot of time,” said Hildebrand. “It’s only three to five hours a week where you’re doing things you might normally do. If you’re going grocery shopping, you can bring the child with you. It gives you a chance just to spend time with the child and talk to them.”
Presque Isle residents Brian Hamel and his wife, Gail, have been mentors since September 2005. Hamel said he finds the experience very rewarding.
“There are always people in the community who need role models, and we felt as though it was time for us to give back to the community,” he said. “We wanted to make a difference in a young person’s life.
“I have to be careful not to be a father,” said Hamel. “I’m there to be a friend, a listener and a positive role model … to help set him in the right direction and tell him that life is really about making the right choices.”
Hamel said each week is different, but he tries to spend between five and 10 hours a week with their mentee.
“Most of the time we spend together is on the weekend,” he said, “but sometimes we see each other during the week. We have him over for dinner, he comes over and watches a movie, we play games, we’ve gone camping together overnight at a campground, gone hiking, I’ve taken him on an airplane ride … we do a lot of things. Sometimes he even helps around the house.”
Paulette Landeen of Caribou became involved with the CAMP a year ago. She mentors a 13-year-old named Tim, who has been participating in the program for five years.
“I work harder than when I was working full-time,” said Landeen. “I met Carolyn [Hildebrand] at a health fair and she told me about the program. I thought it sounded very interesting, and that I had something to offer so I signed up. I was willing to work with any age group … it didn’t matter to me how old the mentee was. I just wanted to make a difference in a young person’s life.”
Tim said he and Paulette do a lot of activities together.
“We go walking and talk a lot,” he said. “We talk about everything.”
“Most of the time our activities are not organized,” said Landeen. “We’ll rake leaves, go shopping, sit and talk … nothing special, just spending quality time together.”
Landeen encourages people to put aside their fears and get involved with CAMP.
“I would definitely encourage people to join,” she said. “Jump in … the water’s fine.”
Hildebrand said another concern of prospective mentors is the issue of liability.
“In the state of Maine, there’s a statute that if you do volunteer work, you’re not liable … unless of course it’s child abuse and you’re doing something wrong, but in most cases you’re covered for liability,” said Hildebrand, “so that’s not usually an issue.”
While the mentors do not receive any pay, the child’s parent pays for the child’s activities if a charge is involved.
“For example, if the mentor and mentee decide to go to the movies, the parent will pay for the child’s admission and the mentor will pay their own way,” said Hildebrand. “There’s not supposed to be an expense to the mentor except driving the child to places.”
CAMP asks that mentors commit to the program for one year. At the conclusion of the year, an annual review is held and the mentor has the option of keeping the same child for another year.
Recognizing the importance of mentoring programs throughout the country, President Bush has proclaimed January as National Mentoring Month.
“Mentoring programs pair a child in need with a caring adult who can help that child understand the importance of making the right choices in life,” said Bush in a press release. “It is one of the best ways to send young people the right messages. Through friendship and encouragement, mentors can help prepare young Americans for a hopeful future.
“One mentor can change a life forever,” Bush said. “I encourage all of our citizens to dedicate their time and talents to mentoring a young person. By providing help and hope to our youth, mentors help foster a more compassionate society that values every life and leaves no child behind.”
For more information about becoming either a mentor or a mentee, call 764-4005.