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Why I Mentor

Oklahomans in every corner of the state are volunteering time each week to make a difference in a child's life. The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence has asked some of these mentors to share their experiences.

Alan Snider, a volunteer with Tulsa Boys Home, served 30 years with the US Air Force, retiring in 1989 as a Command Chief Master Sergeant. He then worked for 15 years in the credit and collections industry, retiring again in 2003 as the Director of Legal Operations for the 10th largest collection agency in the United States. He has been a volunteer mentor and tutor as well as a substitute teacher since 2004.

Why is mentoring important to you?
Mentoring gives me the opportunity to give back to society in general and teenage boys in specific, the good fortune that has blessed my life. I’ve had two wonderful parents, two great careers, a terrific wife and two super sons. Many people haven’t been that fortunate and this is my chance to help them. As a retiree in my mid sixties it gives me a chance to “keep my hand in the game” of life – to share my experiences of growing up, going to school, serving 30 years in the US Military and working 15 years in the business world. If I can make life better for these boys then it makes my life better as well.

How or why did you become involved?
I began working with teenage boys who were at risk during my last few working years in Omaha. The public school system there, along with CONAGRA, was looking for volunteers to help prepare high school seniors for the business world. A sort of survival skills for beginners in the work force. After doing this for a few months I became increasingly aware of how unfortunate the life circumstances of many of these boys were and conversely, how fortunate I had been. When I retired in 2004 I moved to Tulsa and after a few months found that I had the time to devote to volunteering. This available time, along with a desire to “pay back” my good fortune led me to seek out working with at risk teenage boys. While searching for that opportunity I found the Tulsa Boys Home where I now mentor, tutor and substitute teach. I mentored for the first year, then added tutoring because of the boys’ learning challenges. A year after that I was asked to begin substitute teaching at the TBH School. I average 800 – 1000 hours per year in volunteer work now.

How have you personally benefited from mentoring?
As I said before, it “keeps my hand in the game of life”. I can’t imagine just going out and playing golf, puttering around the yard or pursuing perceived earned pleasures. I need to be involved with young people because they keep me alive and remind me of my lifelong good fortune. The personal rewards, even the occasional frustrations, of mentoring and tutoring are more than enough to keep me going for years to come.

Give an example of an activity you have shared with your mentee.
I have mentored six boys over the four years that I have been volunteering. In those years we have attended many sporting events from watching hockey, basketball and baseball games to visiting museums, taking in movies, playing countless board and card games from chess to cribbage and everything in between. I have taken them to dinner and helped them with their social skills in these environments and others in the public domain. We’ve been to playgrounds, played catch with every imaginable kind of ball, shot pool, played basketball, etc. Mostly, however, have been the countless hours of talking, discussing life’s challenges, listening to them and helping them sort through their feelings, fears and hopes.