Michelle Boisclair

Michelle has been a volunteer mentor with the Western Youth Network (WYN) since July 2006. Michelle has spent over thirty hours a month with her mentee for the past two years. Michelle always has the safety and health of her mentee in mind.

Michelle is truly improving our community by volunteering to serve an underserved population of youth who live in poverty. Michelle provides guidance, safety, structure and safe recreation for a child that has been exposed to many challenges for her age. Michelle is showing this youth that life can be what you make it and she is encouraging her to make choices for herself that will help her grow to become a healthy adult. Michelle is teaching life lessons by spending time as a role model to her mentee.

Michelle provides opportunities for her mentee to learn from her community. Michelle has involved her mentee in our local Gear Up program to learn about to learn about service and going to college. Michelle encourages her mentee to do well in school and she is supportive of all her mentee’s achievements.

Michelle has been a mentor for two years and plans to see her mentee through high school. Michelle and her mentee celebrated their two year anniversary with reflections back to where they started and how far they have come. Michelle and her mentee have been friends through the school system and Michelle requested to mentor this specific child.

Michelle has truly made her mentee a member of her family by including her on special family dinners, as well as mother daughter time with her own child. Michelle provides unique opportunities for her mentee to take part in take part in activities that improve her overall health, academics, and happiness. The impact Michelle has had on her is hard to gage, it may be the amount of smiles you see when they are together. Her mentee professed in a thank you letter to me that she is grateful to see Michelle and happy that they will be able to continue in the Governor’s One-on-One mentoring program with WYN. Michelle has helped her mentee to improve her grades and reach the next grade level. Michelle has provided a stable home when her mentee has moved over 4 times in the last year. Michelle’s impact on her mentee has been tremendous as her mentee has been able to look at life with new found optimism.

Michelle began as an educator but felt that her impacts were not reaching deep enough. Michelle requested to mentor this child because she wanted the ability to do more and make a difference in this child’s life. Michelle showed innovation in seeking out a mentoring program where she would be able to reach this child on a level that the school setting would not allow. Through mentoring Michelle has been able to become a positive role model and a trusted family friend.