Mentor Families

     This is the second in a series of three Marketing Matters designed to help build and strengthen the community that is known as your Catholic school.  Many schools and parishes call themselves "family" today - but may I be so bold as to say that such a marketing term may not bring to mind a positive image for many parents of young children today.

     Most of today's families are not necessarily places of love, respect, discipline and all that the word "home" brings to mind.  Some of our young parents couldn't wait to leave home - and since experience more or less dictates actualization, they may not be creating the ideal "home" for their children.

     But the good news is that there ARE families in our schools that are strong exemplars of love and support.  Perhaps think about asking one of these families to be a mentor to a new family that's coming in.  The mentor family can give the potential or new family a phone call and leave a message that says that they're are praying for the potential or new family, and if they have any concerns, can call the mentor family.  These mentor families are the ambassadors of your school and all that it wants to be.

     When most people join an established organization, they are overwhelmed with the amount of work involved, the commitment level expected, and the dedication necessary in order to create an outstanding educational experience for those they are serving.  When my wife and I made the commitment to be involved as a team couple for Engaged Encounter in the mid-1980's, we were taken aback by what was expected of us.  However, we began receiving phone calls from our "support couple," who gave us another contact point into the community, in addition to the couple that talked to us about becoming involved in the first place.  They became good friends, and our involvement in the community grew, instead of causing our potential isolation as "the new couple."

     The other aspect of a mentor family is that it is a family mentor.  It's an opportunity to evangelize and model what a family needs to be.  As St. Francis said, "Preach the Gospel at all times - use words if necessary."

© Michael V. Ziemski, SchoolAdvancement, 2007

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