Making a difference through mentoring
Once a week, Julie Kay, Vendor Pricing and Programs Administrator with KENT Building Supplies, crosses the street between J.D. Irving, Limited’s Saint John head office and Prince Charles School. As she enters the school, the volunteer mentor is about to start one of the most meaningful parts of her work week.
“When I walk up the hallway and I see [my mentee] at the top waiting for me, her face lights up,” said Julie.
It’s a ritual that’s been repeated weekly since 2024, when Julie first put her name forward to volunteer after learning there was a need for mentors for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Saint John In-School Mentoring Program. A partnership between PALS (Partners Assisting Local Schools) and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Saint John, the In-School Mentoring Program is made possible by volunteer employees of JDI companies, and JDI provides employees one hour of their work week to take part.
Julie is one of several mentors who provide consistent support to their mentees as role models, acting as listeners and encouragers.
Through the program, mentors and mentees are matched based on shared interests. For Julie and her mentee, these include a love of board games, crafting and music.
And it’s these activities that feature heavily in their shared hour together each week, a fact that was made clear this winter by the paper snowflakes that decorated Julie’s office, the artistic result of one session spent crafting.
Once the pair even wrote a book together.
“Winter was taking forever last year and we were both kind of down in the dumps about it,” Julie said. Drawing inspiration from the doldrums, the titular character Gopher George was born. In the book, George tires of waiting around for spring, taking off on a trip south and missing Groundhog Day. The result is a humorous tale brought to life by the illustrations of Julie’s mentee.
Through the project, Julie said her mentee gained confidence and leadership skills. It’s here that the value of the mentoring program truly shines.
“You know the old saying, ‘It takes a village?’ You’re going to be that extra person in the village,” Julie said, adding that the positive outcomes achieved by her mentee as well as the bond they’ve formed are the most rewarding parts.
“I look forward to it every week,” she said. “To know that someone’s looking forward to seeing you every week, it makes you know you’re making a difference.”
About PALS
Partners Assisting Local Schools is a community-based initiative co-founded by James K. Irving and the Anglophone South School District to support students and schools in New Brunswick. By fostering partnerships between businesses, community groups, educators and volunteers, PALS programs focus on educational needs and contribute to making a difference in the life of students.
