Boulder, Colorado (April 17, 2019):
Local Boulder resident Juana Gómez was recognized recently as a Daily Point of Light Award honoree, a national service award from the Points of Life Foundation. Gómez was honored for her dedicated volunteer service mentoring youth through the "I Have A Dream" Foundation of Boulder County (IHDF).
The Daily Point of Light Award was established by the late former President George H.W. Bush to share his vision of individuals and organizations across the nation who help others through service, creating "a thousand points of light." The Points of Life Foundation was established shortly afterward, and today recognizes and encourages volunteer service nationwide.
Gómez has volunteered with IHDF since 2010 and became a mentor in 2015, meeting with a middle-school student on a weekly basis. The two have been fast friends ever since.
In 2018, she extended her volunteer work with the organization further, becoming a member of IHDF's Board of Directors.
When asked about what she has learned through her experience as a volunteer and why it's important to give back,
Gómez
said, "Mentoring is a volunteer experience that may seem simple, but has many positive and long lasting impacts...Many programs and activities require monetary resources, but also giving of your time can have a tremendous impact on a community and on individuals' lives."
IHDF depends on community volunteers like Gómez to be mentors, tutors, and in other volunteer capacities to serve more than 600 students annually with holistic, year-round programming. Adult volunteer mentors (18+ years old) are needed to provide students with long-term, reliable, and supportive relationships, to offer one-on-one guidance and support, and to serve as positive role models. Mentors see their mentee at least twice per month for a minimum one-year commitment, participating in fun activities.
Of the mentorship program,
IHDF Director of Volunteers Carla Maniscalco said, "Our goal is to provide a mentor to every Dreamer Scholar before they graduate. Mentors, especially male mentors, are needed at all of our program sites. Are you ready to be a positive force in someone's life?"
To read G
ómez's full interview, visit
here.
