In the later years of my grandfather’s life, he began volunteering with people who spoke English as a second language.

I thought it was cool, and inspiring, but at the time I was — like many teens — self-absorbed and busy with my own life.

Later, as a young reporter, I did an article about volunteers working as reading specialists. Slowly but surely, the volunteers were helping the students read more quickly, understand what they read and build confidence.

I began to think more and more about mentoring or working with students. But I could hardly get all my work done at my newspaper job and at home around the house. How could I find the time to volunteer every week?

(Apparently, I was still somewhat self-absorbed.)

Then I had my first child. Still no “spare” time.

Last year, I went back to work full time. At a luncheon one day, I heard a brief appeal for mentors to help students in the Issaquah School District. I couldn’t ignore the urge any longer. I met with the organizer of the Volunteers of Issaquah Changing Education (VOICE) program, Susan Gierke.

In no time at all, Gierke and a counselor at a local elementary school had me set up with a student to mentor. Now, I visit the school for an hour each week on my way to work to hang out. The student and I work on school assignments, talk and play academic games. (So far, he does most of the winning!) It’s a fun and relaxing way to start my day. His teacher lets me know what we should concentrate on, so there’s no guesswork involved on my part. The point is not only to give him a chance to catch up on work he’s fallen behind on, but to give him some one-on-one attention.

That’s what most of the students in the program need most of all.

The problem is, more students have been referred to the program by teachers and counselors than there are available mentors. A counselor I spoke with recently described two girls who she would like to place with mentors as “hanging on by a thread.”

These kids need some stability. They need to know that adults care about them. Some of them have a perfectly great home life but are simply overwhelmed at school or lost in the crowd.

So, whether you’re working, retired, attending school or doing something else with your life, think about whether you could carve one hour out of your schedule each week to help a student in need.

It may be just one hour to you, but it can make a lifelong difference for a student in need.

To learn more about the VOICE program, visit www.issaquahschoolsfoundation.org and click on “programs.” The Lake Washington School District has a similar program, called Looking Into the Needs of Kids and Schools (LINKS). Learn more at www.linksvolunteer.org.

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