MENTORING DAY A SUCCESS

Students Learn the Ropes

December 2011

For more than 10 consecutive years, Gregory Bucciarelli of Greg’s Body Shop has welcomed young car enthusiasts to his collision repair facility as part of Disability Mentoring Day.

Over the course of a few hours, the young men participating this year will see the different stages of wrecked vehicles, from distorted messes to detailed finished products. But first, a song.

“This is not a class; it’s a fun day,” Bucciarelli said. “So, I like to get acquainted to them. I played my guitar for them and gave them some of my promotional hats to make them feel comfortable. Once I got them to laugh, I gave them a tour of the shop.”

Coordinated by Kelly McKenzie, the Will-Grundy Center for Independent Living’s personal assistant advocate, Disability Mentoring Day is the perfect opportunity for high school students with disabilities to have a hands-on look in their field of interest through being paired with an adult mentor.

Businesses benefit, too.

The day can be mutually beneficial. Business owners may lose any lingering apprehensions about working with individuals with disabilities and students with disabilities may form long-term mentoring relationships, said Pam Heavens, executive director for the Will-Grundy Center for Independent Living. Several years ago, a business hired a young woman as a result of Disability Mentoring Day.

“Every successful person has had a mentor in his/her life, someone who provided guidance, advice, wisdom and encouragement, and these relationships can last for years,” Heavens said. “Young people with disabilities need to be afforded the same opportunity as they develop in their careers.”

While at Greg’s Body Shop, the teens learned how to write an estimate; the first steps of repairs and the replacing of parts; and priming, painting and detailing work.

“I allowed them to touch and feel, on a limited basis, what was going on,” Bucciarelli said. “I made sure they got to sand a little bit and touch the bodywork. They got their hands dirty.”

Rick Lozano, owner of Impress Printing in Joliet, participated for the first time this year. Having only one student attend was not a drawback. That student, who presented Lozano and his employees with his own business card, was able to sit at one of the store’s two design tables and create a Thanksgiving card with his picture on it. Lozano also shared the history of his older presses and how he processes and prints orders.

“This was good for my employees, too,” Lozano said. “They took time out of their day and it made them feel good. I believe in helping wherever you can whenever you can.”

Providing a helping hand

Two teens spent the morning at Joliet Township Animal Control. They separated the glossy ad sections from the regular news print from donated newspapers and played with several week-old puppies and kittens. This last task was especially important because the animals need to be comfortable with human touch to be adopted.

“I think the kids really enjoyed being here and seeing what Animal Control does for the community,” said Sarah Gimbel, director. “The animals always benefit from people visiting so it’s a win-win on both sides.”

Participating schools included Lockport Career and Community Connections, Joliet Central High School and Plainfield North, Plainfield South and Plainfield Central High Schools. Eighteen businesses provided mentors and another dozen, for whom matches could not be made, expressed interest in participating.

“After seven years of coordinating Disability Mentoring Day, I am still pleased with the outcome,” McKenzie said. “I truly enjoy collaborating with the teachers and coordinators to ensure that the students have a meaningful experience.”

Mentoring Day Photos