Match of the Month for May

Mary Mesirow and Olivia

For the month of May, we are so pleased to honor Mary Mesirow and her mentee, Olivia, for match of the month. On May 12th, this pair will celebrate their third anniversary of being matched!
Congratulations on 3 Years!

A number of years ago, in her capacity as an educator at Champlain Valley Union High School, Mary began working with Olivia. Olivia had moved a lot up until this time and didn’t have too many adults in her life whom she could count on since she really never had a chance to settle into a place for very long. Mary recognized both this and a great potential in Olivia. When Olivia again moved on from CVU, Mary didn’t want to lose the connection she had established with Olivia and sought out a way that she could continue to be a positive, enduring influence in Olivia’s life. A friend of Mary’s recommended she get involved with Spectrum’s Mentoring Program and have this program serve as a support for this already well-established match.
After talking with Olivia about it, Mary pursued becoming a part of our program. She went through the required screening and training in order to become an official match with the program—that was three years ago.
Now, Olivia and Mary live about 70 miles away from each other. Even with this great distance separating them not to mention the enumerable frost heaves and potholes along the way, this pair continues to get together regularly. Typically they’ll meet up in Burlington and either catch a movie or get a bite to eat. This geographic distance between them is challenging, but a big part of their relationship is riding together and having the chance to talk. It’s also a great testament to the strength of their relationship that they continue to meet even with half a state between them.
CONGRATULATIONS again on being matched for three years!