Nourish curiosity, mentor somebody today

By Nellie Curtiss …

January is National Mentoring month.  Without the mentoring that the Boys and Girls Clubs have offered, Denzel Washington, to name one celebrity, would not be the person he is today—as he has noted in a recent commercial.

At the website Who Mentored You (sites.sph.harvard.edu/wmy/) a list of celebrities prominently touts the mentor service of not only Sting and Maya Angelou but also Gloria Estefan. 

Estefan wrote, “There is only one person in my life whom I consider my mentor–my grandmother on my mother’s side, Consuelo Garcia. Besides her obvious role as a grandparent, she represented to me a vivid example of a woman ahead of her time. She was a strong, caring, spiritual humanitarian who filled my life with possibilities, and through her example, gave me the belief that there was nothing I could not do or achieve in life. Although she was born in 1905 in Cuba, she felt no limitations and even aspired to be a lawyer, an unheard-of profession for a Latin woman. And though she had to leave school to help her large family at the age of ten, she taught herself to read and write and became an amazingly astute businesswoman, and extremely independent.”

Estefan continues, “She cared for me from birth, and nurtured the thought that music was a gift I had received. And although I was reluctant to follow that path, I somehow found myself involved with music because our gifts are meant to be shared for the good and pleasure of others. We remained extremely close throughout my life, and even after her death I have often found comfort in her memory and the wisdom she shared with me.”

“My grandmother always pointed out my strengths,” said Estefan on the website, “and filled me with hope for the future.” Continuing, Estefan said that her Grandmother Garcia “nourished her inquisitiveness.” She learned through her mother’s mother that as women, “We have limitless potential. I finally said yes to music because of her.”

Estefan said she felt “fortunate to have found such an amazing mentor” She doesn’t believe that mentors like her grandmother come along every day.  Ultimately, her grandmother “had a profound influence” on her.  

The world can be daunting to some of us earthlings, but the path opens up to us when we have a mentor to guide us. 

It doesn’t take a lot of time to be a mentor either; the only requirement, after background checks that the agency performs, is that of wanting to help others. 

Our society is no longer the nuclear family of the 50’s with a mom and dad in each home; but it is a “stir fry” of different family constructs. Mentors are needed to guide and encourage young people who need that extra adult as a guide.

To become a volunteer, check out the Boys and Girls Club of the San Luis Valley (bgcslv.org/) located at 1115 10th Street, Alamosa, CO 81101, or call (719) 589-5252

Nourish curiosity: mentor somebody today.