shoreupdate.com

By Avra Sullivan

“It only takes four hours a week to make a significant difference in a young person’s life,” says Philip Donnelly, who has been a mentor with CommUNITY Mentoring Partnership for the last 3 years. He mentors a student at Stevensville Middle School and two at Matapeake Middle School. This past January, Mr. Donnelly was appointed to the Queen Anne’s County Mentoring Board of Directors as the mentoring representative. He also serves on the recruitment committee for the board.

Mr. Donnelly read about the program in his bank’s monthly newsletter and contacted the coordinator, wanting to help work with these young kids. After his application, background check and orientation were completed, he was assigned his first mentee, a young many at Stevensville Middle. “The personal reward is immediate and very gratifying. We are making a difference in these young people lives,” he says. “Without volunteer help, these young people fall through the cracks. By mentors watching out for their welfare and providing “life skills”, they may be able to contribute to society instead of being a draw on the system. ” He adds that the support and help of the parents and teachers has also enabled him and other volunteers to continue encouraging these young kids to do great things.

Those of you heading to the Queen Anne’s County Fair can visit the CommUNITY Partnership and Character Counts booth there and find more information about volunteering and donating to their programs. They are particularly interested in raising donations to take a field trip this fall to the Baltimore Aquarium.

Mr. Donnelly and his wife have lived on Kent Island for the past 34 years. A retired Manufacturers Representative, they have 2 grown children and 8 “beautiful grandchildren.” He enjoys being with his family and playing golf.