Do your friends say you are a caring, open-minded, nurturing woman? Do you like to help others? If you answered yes then you have some of the characteristics needed by the Volunteer Center of Bergen County’s Mentoring Moms program.
Mentoring Moms is a program that trains and supervises volunteers to serve as mentors to overwhelmed mothers dealing with life challenges while raising a family.
Launched in 1995, the Mentoring Moms program is an offshoot of the youth mentoring program that the Volunteer Center of Bergen County has run for 30 years.
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“There are lots of programs for kids but not many to help support mothers,” said Cindy Andrake the program's director.
Women interested in becoming mentors attend a free five week training session and undergo a background check which is paid for by the program. “We have always done background checks and in the current environment it is especially important and necessary,” said Andrake.
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The winter training session begins January 30, 2012, from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at the Volunteer Center offices in Hackensack.
Most of the women who are in need of mentoring are referred to the program from the Division of Family Youth Services.
“We currently have 53 mentors trained in the program and we get between five and 10 new referrals each week," said Andrake. “Many of our clients are low income and single moms and need a supportive person in their life."
Wyckoff resident Michel Cironi was trained as a mentor in October 2010. An employee of UPS, she learned about the program through UPS’s relationship with the United Way. “I wanted to give back to the community in a non-financial way and try to make a difference,” she said.
Cironi was paired with a single mom who was facing medical and emotional issues.
“I was intimidated at first since I am not a mom but what my mentee really needed was someone to listen who was non-judgmental,” said Cironi.
The program requires the mentors and mentees to connect for one hour a week. Cironi and her mom chat on the phone, text and meet for coffee or a movie.
"It's about listening and helping this mom come to her own remedy for removing obstacles in her life," said Cironi.
Some relationships take longer to grow, however. Cironi tells the story of one partnership that took four months before trust was established between the women.
“Many of these women are juggling a job, childcare and now they are meeting with a stranger," said Cironi. "They are suspicious that someone is really there to be on their side."
Cironi, who is expecting twins this spring, hopes to continue her relationship with her mentee.
“We have become friends and attend events sponsored by Mentoring Moms together,” she said.
Andrake was in a store recently when she was approached by a woman who was a former client and had successfully completed the program four years prior.
"She updated me on her life and how she had completed her bachelor’s degree and was now studying for her masters — it illustrates how the program helps turn around the lives for these mothers," Andrake said.
The Mentoring Moms program is unique to Bergen County and has received inquiries from other organizations interested in launching a similar program locally.
To register for the upcoming Mentoring Moms training session or to learn about other opportunities at the Volunteer Center of Bergen County visit www.bergenvolunteers.org or call 201-489-9454 ext. 123.
