Talbot Mentors recently celebrated twelve years of service to the children of Talbot County at its Annual Dinner for mentors, mentees and their families. More than 120 children and adults attended the event, held at Easton High School. Talbot Bank provided sponsorship for the evening.

Don Cook, Talbot Mentors Board President, welcomed guests and thanked the students of Easton High’s Culinary Arts Program for preparing the meal. He noted the progress Talbot Mentors has made over the years, including its recent move into new and larger offices on Maryland Avenue.

Relating his own experience as a mentor, Cook emphasized the two-way nature of the relationship, with the mentors receiving as much from their friendships with the students as they give. Currently matched with his second mentee, he described how his first mentee, now graduated from high school, has kept in touch and was supportive to Cook through a difficult time.

Guest speaker for the evening was Sara Lowery, Coordinator of Student Life at Salisbury University. Lowery encouraged students to make every moment count, challenging them always to try to gather something new from their time with their mentors.

The occasion served as an opportunity for recognition of milestones and achievements among the program’s participants. Program Coordinator Jessika Best presented President’s Volunteer Service Awards to students Jazmine Gibson and Heena Paracha, who each gave more than one hundred hours of their time to service learning activities over the past year.

Best noted that Talbot Mentors is acknowledged within the community for the high quality of its students’ service learning participation.

Several mentor-mentee pairs were also recognized for their willingness to help the organization whenever needed. Jim Reed and Nick Goldstein, Mike Gates and Damiean Turner, and John Csady and Matiste Wilson all received certificates of appreciation.

Executive Director Diana Trams offered special recognition to mentor Tom Fauntleroy and his mentee Mark Murray for having reached the five-year anniversary of their match. Trams noted that the milestone is a testament to their commitment to each other and to the relationship.

The evening concluded with thanks to all the mentors for their volunteer service, including a gift exchange with mentees and a slide show of photos from the previous year.

For more information, to make a contribution, or to volunteer as a mentor, call Talbot Mentors at 410-770-5999 or visitwww.talbotmentors.org.