At McGohan Brabender we value giving back to our community. One of the ways that our employees and our company gives back to the Dayton community is through CEO Scott McGohan’s summer program Mentors Matter. As we are nearing week 5 of the program, I have had the opportunity to talk to the founder, facilitators and some of the mentors to ask them questions about their experience with Mentors Matter.
What is Mentors Matter?
For over a decade, summer has marked the beginning of Mentors Matter, a program led by McGohan Brabender CEO Scott McGohan that partners with the Dayton YMCA’s Teens in Action summer camp.
Twice a week for an hour and thirty minutes, adults in the Dayton area volunteer their time to mentor Dayton youth aging from 10-16 years old.
For 11 years, Mentors Matter took place on a golf course teaching the mentees the game of golf while also teaching them life skills. This year, the Mentors Matter program has gotten a little “face-lift. Not only does the program have a different venue, but also has a different name and vision.
Justin Howard, owner of The Black Box Improv Theater, has joined the Mentors Matter team as a facilitator and is allowing the program to use his theater twice a week. This year the program is focused on “Worth it Why,” a new concept program founder Scott McGohan came up with, which is designed to help the mentees discover their self-worth and understand why they are worth it.
Meet the Founder
Scott McGohan
In 2006, Scott McGohan began the Mentors Matter program with the intention of helping the next generation understand that they are cared about and give them positive role models that they may not have in their lives otherwise. This is Scott’s 12th year participating in Mentors Matter as both a mentor and a facilitator.
Why did you start Mentors Matter? Do you feel like it has succeeded/met all of your expectations?
Scott: I grew up with great parents, went to great schools, and I had nothing to do with it. I watched my father never discriminate against people because of race, gender or economic status. I had little self-worth growing up and if I can be useful to instill self-worth into others with a noble and virtuous purpose then it is worth it and that’s why.
How do you think Mentors Matter impacts the mentees’ lives?
Scott: I think when I was young I had an impression that older people were judgemental and looked down on me. That was far from the truth and looking back it was a number of older people that gave me confidence when I had none. A society that seeks to understand each other is a society cloaked in virtue and most of all love.
What is your favorite memory from Mentors Matter?
Scott: I had a girl named Rhonda call me on the carpet about an episode that I have carried for decades. She had virtue, character, and courage. I thought I was there to teach the students, and a wonderful student gave me the greatest gift of all.
Meet the Facilitators
Meet the people behind Mentors Matter. Frank Crockett, Justin Howard, and founder Scott McGohan provoke the discovery of self-worth in the mentees through their stories, questions, and activities. The facilitators also participate as mentors when they are not presenting.
Frank Crockett
Frank Crockett is the group life pastor at SouthBrook Church. Frank has been with Mentors Matter since the beginning as both a mentor and a facilitator.
How has Mentors Matter impacted your life?
Frank: It has impacted my life because as one of the facilitators that leads sessions for teens and mentors, I love the fact that men and women have a chance to share their story and participate in engaging activities that support young people to feel like they have what it takes to move forward in a positive and productive direction. It’s a space and time thing. I’m thankful for the mentors that make time, and for the students that create space to be available to be impacted because of a conversation, an experience, a meal together, and ultimately make impactful relationships!
Justin Howard
Justin Howard is the owner and operator of the Black Box Theater in Downtown Dayton. Justin not only runs the theater but he also performs on stage every week. This is Justin’s first year with Mentors Matter as both a facilitator and a mentor.
Why do you volunteer your time and your theater for Mentors Matter?
Justin: I have a general rule that if I can help, I should. Unfortunately, the growth of the theater has made it hard to be open for opportunities like this, but in this case the scheduling worked out.
What does Mentors Matter mean to you?
Justin: It’s an opportunity to be a positive influence in the lives of kids that may not have that adult influence as much as they need. Any effort put into the life of a child is never wasted energy.
What is your favorite memory from Mentors Matter?
Justin: When the pizza was late arriving and the mentors were all freaking out because we didn’t know if the kids realized that they could organize and overpower us.
Meet the Mentors
Without mentors, the program would not exist! This is what some of this year’s mentors had to say about Mentors Matter.
Liz Schneider
Liz Schneider is an Account Manager at McGohan Brabender’s Dayton location. This is her 7th year as a mentor for Mentors Matter.
Why do you continue to volunteer for Mentors Matter every year?
Liz: The teenage years are HARD regardless of your personal circumstance. Year after year, the YMCA Teens in Action program recruits a great group of kids who are funny, vibrant, and looking to keep busy over the summer months. I am not going to lie that it is a clash of cultures. I am a full-time working suburban mom with three young children, however we are able to find commonalities. Watching the kids grow over the course of the summer in confidence is something I look forward to.
How has Mentors Matter impacted your life?
Liz: I have heard the saying “80% of life is just showing up.” A lot of these kids have had adults in their lives that deliver empty promises. It always amazes me how after only one session they will remember our names or something we have said. We are showing them that they are important, their life has purpose, and we value them for who they are.
Mike Orr
Mike Orr is a Service Representative at McGohan Brabender’s Dayton location. This is his 2nd year as a mentor for Mentors Matter.
Why do you continue to volunteer for Mentors Matter?
Mike: I have been an after school tutor since I was a college student in Kentucky. Mentors Matter has been the perfect opportunity in Dayton for me to keep working with young people. I give my time because I really feel like everyone gets something out of it. I learn just as much from the kids as they do from me. The kids in this program are wonderful. It means a lot to me that I am able to work with the next generation of Dayton, to help them ask big questions and to have fun trying to find some answers.
What does Mentors Matter mean to you?
Mike: I believe each one of us has an obligation to leave the world a better place for the people that come after us. Mentors Matter is a great way to get involved with the Dayton community that has given me so much, and to help give something meaningful to the next generation.
Jeanne Boozell
Jeanne Boozell is a Service Representative at McGohan Brabender’s Dayton location. This is Jeanne’s 1st year as a mentor for Mentors Matter.
Why do you volunteer for Mentors Matter?
Jeanne: I have discovered that helping people is one of my vital needs. Besides my position at MB, I do not have many opportunities to reach out and fulfill that need. Since MB has changed the “MB Gives Back” initiative, that scratch has been itched, and when I saw there was a prospect of becoming a mentor with the Y, I was excited to continue the Giving Back with Mentors Matter. This year’s group is very respectful and kind to each other, to the mentors, and to the counselors. I have enjoyed spending time with this group. Through games and laughter, they have actually taught me a few things.
Jack Crotty
Jack Crotty is a Sales Consultant at McGohan Brabender’s Dayton location. This is Jack’s 1st year as a mentor for Mentors Matter.
What is the best part about being a mentor?
Jack: The best part about being a mentor is knowing/hoping that you are having a positive influence on a child’s life that may not otherwise have that. Helping them understand that they may already be a role model to others and to be sure to behave in a way that they would want their role models to behave.
How has Mentors Matter impacted your life?
Jack: Although I have only been a mentor for a short period of time, I have been greatly impacted by Mentors Matter. Being able to support and encourage a child that my not otherwise hear words of encouragement is such a gift. It is very humbling to realize the struggles that kids in our very own communities face every single day. My only hope is that, if only for a short period of time, I can help bring some light into their lives. Let them know that they are good, they are important, and they can make a difference.
Mandy Latham
Mandy Latham is an Account Manager at McGohan Brabender’s Dayton location. This is Mandy’s 11th year as a mentor for Mentors Matter.
Why do you volunteer for Mentors Matter?
Mandy: I care about my community and the people in it, and I have a soft spot in my heart for kids and their well-being. Some of the kids that participate in Mentors Matter have wonderful home lives with loving families, but not all of them are as fortunate. I can’t control what goes on outside of Mentors Matter, but for a few hours a week I can spend time with the kids and make sure they know that there are people that care about them. Kids their age are easily influenced by their surroundings and can easily turn down the wrong path if they don’t have people in their life telling them that they can be better, to tell them they’re worth it!
How has Mentors Matter impacted your life?
Mandy: It’s such a gift to be able to make a difference in someone’s life. Not only has being a mentor been rewarding, it’s also given me a perspective on life that I probably would have never gotten otherwise.
What is your favorite memory from Mentors Matter?
Mandy: Last year I really connected with a group of girls. By the end of the summer, they were giving me hugs, asking me to braid their hair, and asking for my advice about school and friends. One day, they were talking about school and where they wanted to go to college when they were older. One of the girls got very upset and when I asked her why, she said that her parents would never be able to afford to send her to college, nor did they care if she went or not. She told me that she wanted to go and I told her that if she wanted it bad enough I had no doubt that she could make it happen. We talked about grants, scholarships and loans, and by the end of our conversation her attitude had completely changed. She had hope and determination. I’ll probably never know if she goes to college or not, but my hope is that she remembers those words of encouragement if she ever has doubts again.
Nick Lamb
Nick Lamb works at Butler Heating and Air Conditioning in Dayton. Nick has volunteered his time to mentor for different organizations over the past 8 years. This is Nick’s first year as a mentor for Mentors Matter.
Why do you volunteer for Mentors Matter?
Nick: I can’t think of a better way to spend my lunch break on Tuesdays and Thursdays! I have been blessed with positive role models and supporters in my life and I’m happy for the opportunity to be the same for others, especially a group of excellent young people like these kids.
What does Mentors Matter mean to you?
Nick: I was raised in a loving household by hard-working parents. We lived in a mobile home park for several years and school was tough for me early on because I was labeled as a poor kid because of where I lived. I had some people in my life, including my parents and some special teachers, that told me that I could be and do anything I wanted to in life. They convinced me that I was worth it and it changed the way I thought of myself. I feel extremely happy to be able to let these kids know that they are worth it and why.
Bryan Stewart
This is Bryan’s 1st year as a mentor for Mentors Matter. Bryan has volunteered as a mentor for years at the Boys and Girls Club of Dayton.
What is the best part about being a mentor?
Bryan: The best thing about being a mentor is the perspective it gives you. You see some of yourself in these kids, and I’m constantly inspired by them. They have been wonderful. It’s a great reprieve from the traditional 9 to 5 workday. I look forward to Tuesday and Thursday lunch hours because the kids are a riot and fun to be around.
