Bridge of Hope BuxMont Mentoring Group
Volunteer Position Description
Purpose: A mentoring group is comprised of 10-12 people from one congregation who provide practical assistance, friendship and support to one family participating in the Bridge of Hope BuxMont program.
Position Title: Mentor-Friend
Location: Mentoring activities may occur in private or public settings within the community. Formal meetings occur at the sponsoring church and at the Hope Night host church.
Key
Responsibilities:
1) Building an intentional friendship with the participating family matched with your group
2) Providing encouragement and affirmation.
3) Assisting with practical needs such as transportation, gathering needed furnishings and household needs, help with finding an apartment, help with job hunting and other tangible acts of support
4) Role modeling positive family communication and parenting skills
5) Exemplifying Christ’s love in providing unconditional care for the participating family.
6) Refraining from providing money directly to the participating family or otherwise fostering an unhealthy, co-dependent relationship.
Reports To: Mentoring Group Coordinator
Length of
Appointment: The commitment to Bridge of Hope BuxMont is 12-24 months;
however, your friendship with this family may be for a lifetime.
Time
Commitment: 1-3 hours a week (See Three Main Time Commitments)
Qualifications: 1) Must be 19 years of age or older
2) Satisfactory criminal background and child abuse registry checks
3) Ability to provide unconditional support and friendship to a single parent and children in the Bridge of Hope BuxMont program
4) Willingness to learn from the parent you mentor
5) Patience and persistence through the inevitable “ups and downs” of mentoring
6) Ability to meet the Three Main Time Commitments of the program
7) Commitment to the Bridge of Hope BuxMont Mission Statement
Support
Provided: 1) Two evening training sessions and one orientation meeting
2) Ongoing training provided through monthly Hope Nights
3) Periodic check-in and de-briefing meetings with staff
4) Phone and e-mail consultation as needed with staff
Benefits
Provided: 1) The opportunity to assist a family to increase their level of social
and financial independence within the community.
2) The opportunity to provide a support network for a family who
may not have access to such support otherwise.
3) The opportunity for spiritual growth as one’s faith beliefs are challenged by the realities of building an intentional friendship with someone who may have a very different background and socioeconomic status from one’s own.
4) The opportunity to learn effective helping skills to carry out God’s mandate to care for those facing poverty and homelessness in our communities.
Bridge of Hope BuxMont Mission Statement
Ending homelessness for single-parent families in Montgomery and Bucks Counties by connecting them to professional case management and trained mentoring groups from Christian churches in order that the families achieve permanent housing, financial self-sufficiency, and family stability.
Three Main Time Commitments of Mentoring
Mentoring is a ministry of friendship. Building an intentional friendship takes time. The following is a guide for investing time in the lives of the family with whom you are matched:
1) Phone Calls—Call once a week—just to say hello and chat. Notes are also appreciated but should not replace phone contact.
Leaving a message that communicates care without a required return phone call from a busy single mother is a wonderful gift!
2) One-on-One Time: Each mentor (or mentor couple) should initiate a one-on-one activity with the participating family every 4 to 6 weeks. Ideas include going out for a cup of coffee, grocery shopping together, or inviting the family for pizza.
Hint: You may want to coordinate with the rest of the group so that the family is not receiving all of your invitations in the same week!
3) Hope Nights: Attend the monthly Hope Nights in order to coordinate with your group, touch base with staff and interact with the participating family.
Program graduates talk about how much they miss these nights, as they enjoyed the mini-family reunion each month!