Mentors

A mentor is the conduit between the families and students and is a key in making sure the team functions well. We have been very lucky with our mentors. Many have been with us since the inception of the Boise program. Many are in the medical field as PTs, SLPs and RNs. Some have lost loved ones to ALS. All are very committed to our program, but more importantly to their students. Speaking of commitment, we have had mentors do more than what their original responsibilities. Such as Jan Welch helping with presentations, Cynthia Billings taking control of our Fall Fun Run, Daranee Hatch becoming our historian, Anne Kuhlmeier being a part of our library team and many more assisting the program manager with a variety of things.

Volunteer of the month awards given to the following Mentors:
Amy Byrd and Anne Kulmier

What a married couple answered after asked questions regarding mentoring and xh's"

Tom Bellomy

1. Tom is a mentor and works as a sixth grade teacher in the Boise School District. He was recently nominated for the Disney Creative Teacher award.
   
2. Tom’s wife, Kendra, found Extra Hands for ALS and told him about knowing he would want to volunteer; his grandmother died of ALS.
   
3. Tom mentors his PALS family and students by keeping in contact with them and visiting the family with his students.
   
4. His favorite part about volunteering is getting to now the other volunteers and PALS in the program.
   
5. Tom, if completely honest, really likes Coco Krispies and thinks it would have been cool to sit down with Bob Marley and chat about politics, life, and the pursuit of happiness.

Kendra Bellomy

1. Kendra is finishing up a nursing degree at BSU and works as a Nurse Apprentice at St. Lukes.
   
2. She heard about the program at BSU and signed up with her husband, Tom.
   
3. Kendra is a mentor for Extra Hands and helps her PALS family by doing household chores and providing moral support for both the volunteers and PALS.
   
4. In talking about being an Extra Hands for ALS volunteer she says, “I have been surprised at the student volunteers willingness and compassion to learn more about ALS and how to better help their ALS family.”
   
5. Kendra’s dream vacation would be to travel to Egypt to see the pyramids. If she got stranded somewhere along the way, she would want to have her trusty chapstick by her side.

If you would like to become a mentor go to www.extrahands.org/1_signup to sign up.

Posted by Boise Program Manager at July 27, 2007 12:12 PM

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