Abbe Stutsman is a successful business woman, working as a realtor for Prudential Boulder Realtors, and although her own children are grown, she makes time for a very special young lady: Maria, who attends Trail Ridge Middle School. "Maria is just the greatest! I have enjoyed learning how to relate to a middle schooler again, and getting to know her family-it is really cool!"

Stutsman and Maria were matched by the "I Have a Dream" Foundation of Boulder County, and have been enjoying activities together for a little over a year including: miniature golf, CU games, and dinner-and-a-movie nights. Recently, Maria even learned how to throw pots at a friend's pottery studio. Stutsman says the most important aspect is "bringing something to her she doesn't already have. I really try to mix culture with entertainment, and find activities we both will enjoy and learn from."

Although they are both busy individuals, the pair talk on the phone during weeks they are not able to meet in person. They have even become close friends with another mentoring pair through the "I Have a Dream" Foundation. Stutsman reflects on this relationship: "It is really nice because the other mentor, Beth, and I, both live in Boulder, and our mentees, Maria and Corina, both live in Longmont, so we can carpool and switch off hosting dinners for the girls at our places."

In addition to helping better one person's life, Stutsman feels like mentoring has an impact on the greater community. "Mentoring starts to have a sort of chain effect. You start with one person, and then that person impacts another person, and so on…" "All in all, mentoring is a fantastic experience, and an opportunity to enrich someone's life, as well as your own. It is a gift that gives as much to me, as I do to Maria."

The "I Have a Dream" program serves at-risk youth throughout Boulder County by providing academic support, tutoring, mentoring, and tuition assistance.

For information about volunteering with "I Have a Dream" Foundation or other agencies, call the Volunteer Connection at 303-444-4904, or go to our Volunteer Central.