After trying to volunteer with Mentor Duluth this summer I have some concerns about the agency. Despite graduating with honors and with an individualized bachelor of arts degree with a specialization in children, the agency was reluctant to work with me. I also have a clean driving record and background check and positive references. As a 1987 graduate of Proctor High School, I sought to give back to the community that I grew up in by volunteering.
The agency was never proactive when it came to communicating where I was in the process. An average of six weeks to be matched took nearly four months before the agency finally decided to not accept me into the program. I was told that distance was the reason why I was not accepted in the program -- even though I reiterated several times that it was not an issue that I felt would prevent me from fulfilling a one-year commitment. Mentor Duluth cited distance even though it doesn't specifically have a policy prohibiting volunteers who live over a certain distance from the communities served. The agency should have a policy in place, especially after numerous comments from the match coordinator and executive director that they have had issues in the past.
The agency's website states that "at any given time, (Mentor Duluth) has nearly 200 children waiting for a mentor," and that, "unfortunately, it can take up to two or more years before a child is matched in our program."
After working with Mentor Duluth for the better part of four months, with less than substantial development, I wonder how much of that time is due to a lack of qualified volunteers versus organizational inefficiencies that deny individuals the opportunity to improve the life of a child.
Eric Johnson
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Cedar, Minn.
