Many thanks to all those who donated their time, resources, and talents to make the 2009 Mentors International Gala Fundraiser a very memorable and successful evening.

Get a small taste of the evening here.

With the help of many, we are eradicating poverty and ignorance worldwide.  It is a humbling thing, to empower so many.

What a wonderful organization!

Mentors fifth annual fundraising gala is quickly approaching and we are getting so excited! Tables and seats are filling up, and with 900 people expected to attend, be sure to get yours today! Please visit www.enterprise-mentors.org to register.

Schematic as of Sept. 17

The featured performance for the evening will be The 5 Browns and Mentors couldn’t be more thrilled. The 5 Browns, a family of five piano virtuosos all schooled at Julliard, has dazzled audiences from Beijing to Berlin and have been at the top of the nation’s classical music charts in 2005 and 2006. They have been dedicated to bringing classical music to the lives of people everywhere and have become committed to the Mentors cause.

This year the Humanitarian Service Award will be given to Padma Venkataraman, daughter of former India President R. Venkataraman. Venkataraman has long been a leading figure in the national fight against leprosy and its resulting stigma. She has also made great strides in incorporating micro lending into numerous leprosy colonies. Her determination to break the cycle of leprosy transmission for future generations has become a model for giving these individuals the dignity they deserve.

We will see you at the Gala on October 9!!!

With Mentors clients in Guatemala

During the Summer of 2009 I had the opportunity to work as an Intern at Mentors International, and although I understood the general concepts behind the work Mentors did, nothing could have prepared me for all of the things I was about to learn.

As any struggling college student can relate, I was in desperate need of a summer job. I heard about the internship through one of the office staff members and Mentors was an immediately attractive alternative to working summer retail. I admit that starting out I didn’t know really anything about the company or what they did. For me they seemed like just another non-profit that thought they were, “Saving the world,” but didn’t have a far reaching effect. I was wrong.

One of my first assignments was to assemble “success story” frames featuring clients and a story about how Mentors had changed their lives, and then to hang them up in the office. After sifting through hundreds of pictures and reading story after story I felt like I knew more about these people then I knew about most of my friends. And although I was touched by their stories originally, after a while I became indifferent to yet another ‘success story.’ My first major assignment was to plan the next Mentors field trip to visit the partner organizations in El Salvador and Guatemala, and I had the opportunity of traveling along with the rest of the group.

I have traveled to Latin America before, but every time I return I am reminded of the severe differences between the way I live and the poverty level of these people. Getting to see the Mentors loan process in action altered my entire perspective of the organization. The experience of seeing these people face to face, not just in their picture was awe-inspiring and I finally understood what Mentors was all about. All of the sudden, the story becomes real. They are no longer a picture or a blurb, they are real people with hopes and dreams and hard times whose lives have been changed because of the efforts of the selfless people I was surrounded by in an office space.

From the outside looking in, it is near impossible to understand what this loan means to the people receiving it. The average business loan the Mentors gives out is around $160, for people living in America, that’s a new gaming system, a GPS, a nice pair of shoes, a prom dress, a spa day, sport supplies or a gym membership; for these people it’s a new start. This loan allows them to improve the quality of their lives to a level they never imagined possible. Families can feed their children, children can attend school, and houses can be made safe, comfortable and secure. Donations made to Mentors go directly to these people with real tangible results. What sets Mentors apart from other microfinance organizations is the training the clients receive; the clients are taught how to successfully build and sustain a business. Underneath the premise of building businesses, Mentors is building families which are in turn building their communities; the training provides these people with the tools to help themselves for true and lasting self-sufficiency. Mentors International understands that while they can’t end poverty all at once, or on their own, they can end poverty one life at a time, one family at a time, and one generation at a time.

Truth learned: Hard working people with a common goal CAN change the world. I have always been a firm believer that if everyone did what they could to better their little, “section,” of the world, the world would end up taking care of itself. While working for Mentors, the office staff has mentored me. I feel empowered and comfortable in knowing that I am capable of leaving my imprint on the world. As small as my efforts may seem when compared to all of the people in the world, it is significant in my life and to the people I’ve reached out to. We have all of the resources, capacity and connections to make a difference, we only need a reminder that we are truly capable. Mentors inspired me to reexamine my life, and rededicate myself to my education, my career and my community; I will be forever grateful for everything I’ve learned and experienced throughout this internship and I will pass on the message of Mentors to anyone who will listen.

At an orphanage in El Salvador

Eric with his friends in the Philippines

Recently, I lived in the Philippines for nearly two years and I can attest to poverty and helplessness that exists there.  This last year has been difficult financially for nearly everyone here in America, but the American people’s ‘recession wage’ is so still much better than what Filipino is making or will likely ever make in his or her lifetime.  There are millions of people in the Philippines who don’t even have a roof over their head, let alone electricity and plumbing.
The people in the Philippines are some of the most respectable and loyal people whom I have ever met; they are simply waiting for a chance to be successful.   Mentors could be their chance.

The future of the Philippines

The task of putting adequate food on the table, purchasing a pencil for a child in school, or the simple outlay needed to buy a small candle to provide light for the home in the evening are major consumer decisions that the people of the Philippines face every day.  These are situations don’t even cross the minds of most Americans, but to a Filipino, being able to never have to worry about these small things would be considered a success financially. More, now then ever, these people simply need a chance to succeed. Unlike many, they don’t expect anything from anyone, including the government.

This mind set has enabled Filipinos to become some of the hardest working people I have ever met. These hard working people never get an opportunity to become successful because of their financial station in life.  I wish everyone could spend time with these people because they are so amazing. I gained a love for the people that made me want to help all of them find better work and become more successful.

Of course, it would be unrealistic to freely had out money to everyone there. That’s why Mentors is so amazing. They are able to reach and help people in a way that teaches them the correct principles of success by providing capital resources that wouldn’t otherwise exist in an entrepreneurial setting.  Hopefully, we can rally around this great program and reach more families throughout the Philippines and in other parts of the world.

Ingat po sa inyong lahat

Eric Queathem
eric_q_3@me.com

Eric visiting friends in the Philippines

Mentors’ latest attempt is to make a video about each partner organization.  Hence the Mentors Guatemala video below…

So, Mentors’ favorite new toy is called Animoto.  It helps you create quick and pretty videos.  Yesterday, Mentors made two videos, one about its clients in El Salvador and the other about The 5 Browns in Central America, complete with their music in the video.  Check it out:

Deondra and Melody Brown (of The 5 Browns) with kids of Mentors clients

From July 5-11, The 5 Browns, some Mentors staff and some other Mentors supporters traveled to Central America to visit with  clients that Mentors helps through its mentoring and microfinance services.

The group spent the first few days in El Salvador meeting with Isabel, the souvenir seller and Marta, the basket weaver.  Then, they traveled to Guatemala and met Aberlado, the farmer and Imelda, the box maker.  Along the way, they traveled with loan officers who told them about the clients they visit.  These loan officers make sure that the repayment rate is as high as possible and in both countries, the repayment rate never goes lower than 95%.

Client receiving her first loan from loan officer Oscar

Above is a picture of this woman receiving her first loan.  To see more field trip pictures click here.

The 5 Browns, some Mentors staff and Rob and Lindsey Nelson just returned from a week in El Salvador and Guatemala.  While there, they met a client receiving her first loan of $150.

Mentors likes what Deondra Brown has to say about our new client.