iMentor: Mike O'Brien's Donor Drive Page

Friends and family, I know so many of you listen to me talk about iMentor all of the time. But I am writing today because I wanted to introduce you to Mario, my mentee. And because I need your help.

It is amazing to think about, but I’ve had the honor of working for iMentor for 7 years now. After all of that time, I am still incredibly passionate about what we do. I love spending every single day trying to make it better. And this year has been especially powerful for me…because I’ve been matched with Mario. Mario is a Junior in high school who lives in the Bronx. He wants to be a psychologist when he grows up; because he likes helping people work through their problems, because he is a great listener, and because it has been so rewarding to counsel his sister and his friends through their toughest times. I’ve had so much fun getting to know Mario. He has showed me around his school, we’ve sat courtside at a Nets game, I’ve introduced him to the psychologists I know, and I’ve stood next to him in awe while he schmoozed confidently with State Representatives from Albany. We’re working on a bunch of projects together: writing his resume, getting a summer job, strategies to help with homework completion and literary analysis for his end-term essay. We are also trying to find a time for Mario to embarrass me on the basketball court.

Mario and I will be matched for the next three years. During that time, I’ll try to assist with whatever Mario needs to graduate from high school and make a successful transition to college. And that will be quite an accomplishment. Mario and his sister (who is one year older) will be the first in their family to attend college. That’s a game-changer. I plan on being there on both of his graduation days: 2011 and 2015.

This is the power of what we do. Without iMentor, I never would have met Mario. And without the support from our incredibly dedicated mentors, we know too few of our mentees will have the chance go out and chase down their dreams. This year, we are supporting 1,200 mentor-mentee pairs. But next year, we are growing to 1,800. In order to do that, we need your help. It costs $1,000 to make a new mentor-mentee match and that is what I’ve committed to raising. I hope you can join me in that effort, spend two minutes to make an online donation and help another student like Mario get a mentor. No donation is too small and every little bit counts. It would mean the world to me!

Thanks, Mike

ps. And if you haven’t already, please sign up to be a mentor!: www.imentor.org

pps. I am competing against other mentors so check out the Leader Board to see if I make the cut (http://www.razoo.com/p/iMentor-Online-Donor-Drive). Also feel free to pass this message along to your friends. Every bit helps!