Success Stories

Take Stock in Children mentors come from every walk of life, and each makes the commitment to meet with his or her student for one hour per week on school grounds. With a focus on student success, mentors provide academic coaching, advice, support and, most of all, friendship. Multi-year, one-on-one mentoring is the cornerstone of the Take Stock in Children program and as evidenced by the success of our studens, it pays large-scale dividends.

Our Mentors

Jim Hurley and Frank Rodriguez

Jim Hurley and Frank Rodriguez have a lot in common. They are both successful professionals, they both have limited time for family and community work, and they both believe deeply that Take Stock in Children can break the cycle of poverty, one child at a time. So these determined men found way to overcome the time barriers that stop so many of us from dong the things we really want to do. They became co-mentors for a very lucky Palm Beach Gardens highs school student.

Jim Hurley is Senior Corporate counsel for Tyco's Fire & Security division in Boca Raton. Frank Rodriguez is CEO and General Counsel to Corporate Creations International Inc. in Palm Beach Gardens. This power packed duo co-mentor Wilnic Gedeon who attends Palm Beach Gardens High School.

"If it were not for Frank Rodriguez, I would not be a mentor today." Said Hurley. He challenged me to turn my well-meaning, idle chatter into real action. It turned out that we shared a common obstacle that was keeping us from participating in the mentoring program, namely, our busy and unpredictable work schedules."

Rodriguez agrees whole-heartedly. He said, "My schedule is hectic and erratic. As a result, I didn't feel comfortable making a commitment to meet with a student every week. Co-mentoring was the vehicle that allowed me to overcome this hurdle."

Students are the ones who benefit the most from co-mentoring. Not only are there mentoring sessions regular and uninterrupted from many of the bumps that affect day to day life, but they benefit from the experiences, wisdom, and support of not one but two caring adults.

Jim has gone on to recruit two women from his office that have also decided that co-mentoring was a great way to give back to the community and still make their busy schedules.

Ms. Gale Butler

When Aznie Alcuis's older brother was murdered, her life changed forever. This life-shattering event threw Aznie, at the time 16, and her family into chaos. No one should have to face death alone - especially a young adult. That is why Aznie's Take Stock in Children mentor, Gale Butler, stepped in to help her through this very difficult time.

Throughout her high school career and through this challenging period in her life, Gale stood by Aznie providing her with constant support and guidance.

At a recent celebration, Aznie spoke about the impact Gale has made on her life. "My mentor is an extraordinary person, and one of the most precious gifts I have ever received. She was always committed to coming to our sessions, which I always looked forward to. She helped me achieve my goals and is a great support in my life."

Take Stock in Children provides the children it serves with the guidance of a caring adult mentor who meets with them once a week. Mentors provide young adults, just like Aznie, with assistance in their academic and personal lives.

The promise of a college scholarship fuels students in the Take Stock in Children program to succeed, but it is mentors who keep them on their path, guiding them through whatever life has in store for them. This is what Gale Butler did for Aznie as she was facing one of life's biggest challenges - moving forward after the loss of a loved one.

The relationship Aznie has built with Gale, has allowed her to triumph in the face of challenges.

Aznie thanked Gale with these words, "Your are awesome and I love you for constantly reminding me of my strengths and bringing out the best in me."

Gale Butler is the Vice President of Corporate Affairs for AutoNation. AutoNation is a key supporter of Take Stock in Children across the state of Florida.

"Mentoring has been a wonderful experience for me," commented Gale. "AutoNation employees are mentoring students throughout Broward County. We do this because we want to give back to the community and we want to help the people who will be our future workforce."

Ms. Belinda Serata

Earlier I had to break from some important work and was wondering if with all that had gone on in my life in the last 6 months (hurricane, family, more family illness, more work than I ever imagined), could I make this time to mentor reliably every week. And the answer came as I returned to my car. I could physically feel the difference in my stress level. I felt uplifted, connected, like I had contributed something important, and cheered by Bella's happy smile. Here I was thinking I was doing something for someone else when it really was me getting the gift.

So I thank you and TSIC for creating this program. I am going to be one of those mentors who will honestly say I have been able to get more out of this than I gave. I was concerned that not having kids of my own would put me out of the loop. Not so. I feel more connected with my community than ever and a lot of it has to do with TSIC.

Bella was a perfect choice for me. Our personalities mesh so well that we can always greet each other with genuine smiles. She has impressed me with her leadership skills, her maturity, and her follow through on suggestions. Her grades improved, she is consciously adapting new study habits, and even summoned the courage (and diplomacy) to ask a teacher to change her teaching style to include more visuals and class interactions. She says it is working so she is feeling better about the class and her ability to effect change. Wow - pretty good for the 9th grade, don't you think!