My parents were my first mentors. I learned about myself with their support, guidance and through their examples. My dad likes to tell this story about how my kindergarten teacher used to say that “Elizabeth is a child who takes it all in, listens and observes everything around her, and then takes charge.” I don’t know if this is an accurate depiction of a 6-year-old’s behavior, but I do know that I was always observing my parents, learning from them, and they put up with my endless questions and wanting to know what was going to happen next.

Marty Bass has a brilliant mind and a huge heart. He is a loyal, fair and dedicated public servant who is captivating in conversation, whether in the classroom or at a cocktail party. He has always been my biggest champion, and I am always striving to make him proud.

Sarah Bass is the rock of our family, and the loving yet practical voice who will be there through any challenge or opportunity. She can fix anything--from ham biscuits and homemade curtains, to broken hearts and anxious minds. Now that I am a mother, I see her as a new kind of mentor, helping me to navigate life as a parent and fiercely loving me and my child.

Another mentor to me was Cindy Fredrick, who I met as an 18-year-old college student when I was a volunteer at Madison House, the student volunteer center at the University of Virginia. She showed me the importance of leadership, service and community, and she was there during a pivotal developmental time in my life. Years later, she hired me fresh out of graduate school, and guided me through learning about non-profit management, civic engagement, and balance as a woman in the workplace. As I now embrace being a working mom and prioritizing my family, my work and my community, I appreciate so much her mentorship early on in my career.  

Many of us are lucky to count parents, teachers, coaches, advisors and camp counselors among our mentors. But there are thousands of children and teens in our communities without a mentor to guide and support them along the way. One of the things we do at Virginia Mentoring Partnership (VMP), the organization where I have worked for the past 3 years, is to help find mentors for those children, and support the programs that connect with them. Kids need mentors, and mentors need VMP.

Taking the time to honor some of my mentors gives me a chance to reflect; working at VMP and being a mentor myself gives me the chance to act.  And I am asking my friends, family and colleagues to join me and help make it possible for more mentors to be trained and matched with a child. Just $25 will cover the cost for a new mentor to be trained, and VMP has a goal of training 2000 mentors in the 2016-17 school year.

Thank you for helping me to reach my goal, and for supporting my work!

With love and gratitude,
Elizabeth