As Mentoring Director I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and knowing Lee Ferron through his mentorship with Mario*. Their mentorship predates my role as mentoring director. Lee has been dedicated to his mentee, faithfully showing up week in and week out since Mario was in the 5th grade and in September, Mario will be a junior in high school! During my time as Mentoring Director, I have seen the level of dedication Lee exhibits in his mentorship. Lee spends an average of 19 hours per month with Mario (the minimum requirement for our program is 4 hours). He maintained this schedule and dedication while working full time in ministry and pursuing his Master’s Degree in Theological Studies at Wesley Theological Seminary.

Lee is a man of integrity and lives this out through his mentorship. Thanks to Lee’s investment, Mario has learned how to drive, stays focused in school and maintains an impressive 3.6 GPA. Mario has accomplished all of this while holding down a part-time job, which Lee has helped him to manage (teaching him to prioritize his studies).

Perhaps what is most impressive about Mr. Ferron is his incredibly humble heart. Whenever we reach out to thank him for the time he has dedicated to Mario, he responds with gratitude expressing the joy he has received from being a part of Mario’s life often stating that he has learned more from Mario than Mario has learned from him.

We are thankful for Lee’s continual relationship with and dedication to Mario over these many years. It’s been incredible to see Mario transform into a mature and responsible young man and I believe Mario would agree that Lee’s consistency and dedication in mentorship has played a large role in Mario’s focus, academic achievement, and transformation.

*Name changed to respect privacy of the individual