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Mentor Spotlight!

July 2021

Jim Wooten!

What have been the biggest benefits of the relationship for you and your family?

Kameron quickly became part of our family. He’s always been an easy-going, kind-hearted, caring young man, with a good sense of humor. It was heart-warming to see him reading nursery books to my first 2 kids with a patience that is not often seen in youths. He also amazed me at his willingness to try new foods or embark on outdoor adventures. The kids took to him excitedly. If one of them needed a break from walking on a hike, he helped them up or carried them for a while. So to answer the question simply with the preceding examples, the relationship we have with Kameron has brought our family joy. We couldn’t imagine life without him.

How do you think your mentee has benefitted?

I believe it’s really a healthy and probably even a vital thing for a kid to know that not only is he or she cared for by his or her parents/ guardians, but that there are even other adults healthily invested in their lives. I would hope knowing that my family and I have been there for him as an additional set of cheerleaders has encouraged Kameron and allowed him an additional push to make the right decisions and to follow through when he was met with challenges. In the beginning of our relationship, I saw him buckle under school pressures. During testing, he would sometimes just shut off and say demeaning things about himself due to his self-perceived inabilities. It was heart-breaking. His family, teachers, and I were concerned. However, we talked and prayed through this on several occasions and worked on his self-confidence and explained to him how he was made to be more than a conqueror. Eventually, he broke free from the lies, persevered, and excelled. I’ve seen him grow into a young man who is a true individual. He is his own person; he doesn’t care or worry about perceptions and expectations of his peers. He makes his own choices, and so far, they’ve been overwhelmingly good. I truly believe the mentoring program, and mentoring in general, is an amazing way to support society and to help young kids be further prepared up for life by enriching their lives with support, care, and confidence.

Why have you stayed so committed having stayed with him since he was a third grader?

When I first became aware of the AAMI program opportunity, I knew it would take a commitment, and something as important as mentorship was not something I was going to come into lightly. I think it would actually be negatively impactful to jump into it and jump out. I approached it very prayerfully and also that the match of kid would be the right one. I remember a couple years into it, we were driving down the road, and he turned to me and asked if I would still be around after the 3 year commitment was up. I realized he was scared that I might disappear. It was heart-wrenching to me, so I made it clear to him that our relationship was not the result of me ‘checking a box.’ I explained that I would always be his friend no matter his age, regardless of whether we were still in the program, and no matter what the paperwork that I signed said. He would always be able to talk to me as long as he wanted to. Kameron is a part of my life and part of my family members’ lives. I want to see him succeed in life, and I intend to be there for him however I can.

Where do you see your relationship headed as he prepares to graduate from school and begin to work and go out on his own?

Kameron is entering a new sea of adult challenges. I remember how scary and exciting that prospect was for me, but I also remember asking lots of questions and knowing that there were people that had my back. I intend on doing the same for him alongside his family to help him continue making the right choices to be properly set up for success.

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