Celebrate National Mentoring Month with Jet Linx Private Jet Company

private jet companyNational Mentoring Month

“I joined the TeamMates program after an event with Denny Walker, the founder of Jet Linx,” Parks explained. “I was curious about the program, and I’d been interested in joining a mentoring program for a while.” A mentee was in attendance, and Parks made the decision to get involved.

“It took about a year to get him to open up,” he said. Parks visits the student in school each week, and provides is a consistent presence in his mentee’s life. The TeamMates program stresses the regularity of mentors’ visits to their mentees as a part of the program’s success. “I’ve been with my mentee through four school years,” Parks said. “He’s attended four different schools in that time frame, because he’s moved often.” Having another dependable adult, in addition to the student’s parents and teachers, can be an incredible motivator to the student.

The student is not the only one to receive benefits from the mentoring program. “I feel I get as much out of it as he does,” said Parks of his mentee. “I received a personal message from the student’s mom, thanking me for being a part of his life. It was very complimentary and it was a lot of validation.” Parks is convinced of the positive power of mentoring, and it’s spread to others in his life. “I actually got my girlfriend to be a mentor,” he grinned.

On a lighter note, Parks has even learned a new skill from his mentee. “He taught me how to play chess,” Parks said. “I’d never learned before, and he’s extremely good. He’s in the chess club at school. And yeah, he beats me everytime.”

To learn how you can be involved in TeamMates, visit www.teammates.org.