On May 2nd, Seedling celebrated you, our fabulous mentors, at the 20th Annual Mentor Appreciation Luncheon at the Renaissance Hotel Austin, sponsored by longtime supporter ABC Bank..  Master of Ceremony, Rob Faubion, joined us once more to recognize and celebrate the tremendous amount of love, energy and time that you so generously give to Seedling.  It is through this collective dedication to our mission that we are able to positively impact so many young people experiencing the absence of a parent or parent figure in their lives.  There was no doubt that Seedling Mentors are the best, as they stood to be recognized with cheerful applause when their year(s) of service were highlighted in this expressive call out:

You take great interest in your community, as well as in your mentee
And bring infectious joy and laughter to everyone you see
You’re our newest group of trusted friends, though you’re anything but green
Stand up, first through fourth-year mentors, and proudly just be seen!

When your mentoring journey has reached year five
Your passion for helping others visibly has come alive
New schools, testing days, you’ve learned a thing or two
Fifth-year mentors, stand up and let us celebrate all that is you.

Sixth through ninth-year mentors know that time flies by in a flash
Through the years, visits flourishing, going from bashful to brash
With attention and care, you support your mentees to grow
Sixth through ninth-year mentors, stand, now is your moment to glow!

Tenth-year mentors are a rare and special kind of friend
you’ve outlasted many, to become great masters of the zen,
You’ve gone on to weather all kinds of changes, fads, and crazes
Now please stand up and let us happily sing your praises!

Eleventh through fourteenth-year mentors, through the years you’ve shared many laughs,
And walked beside them for support as your mentees forged their own paths,
Every year your actions prove your friendship is tried and true,
Stand to kindly take a bow and let us turn our spotlight onto you!

Fifteenth-year mentors are pros, skinned knees and first loves handled with ease
Making middle school and high school simply a breeze
You attend all Seedling trainings to acquire so many new skills
Please rise as we honor you with fanciness and frills.

Sixteenth through nineteenth-year mentors have worked hard to build up trust,
They’ve got patience and care in spades, we don’t mean to fuss,
Making memory after memory, none that really fades,
Stand up now proudly, please accept our accolades!

Twentieth-year mentors, you blazed the path for us all!
You’ve achieved something remarkable, please stand up tall
With your hard work and commitment, our admiration your have won
Please rise to hear us as we cheer for all you’ve done.

Finally, for the support of our school partners and their staff
We would like to offer thanks times a million and a half
Without them, make no mistake, no matches would meet on any day
Would you fine folks please stand and let’s all clap,  without further delay.

This year’s Angel’s and Advocates Award also received much admiration from the crowd.  This award, presented to an individual or entity whose advocacy, support, or public action has made a significant difference in the lives of children who have an incarcerated parent, was presented to Contigo Technology.  In the summer of 2020, Contigo reached out to Seedling to generously offer free IT services for one year.  Additionally, they conducted a laptop drive with their clients to provide Seedling mentees with free laptops for for virtual mentoring when COVID restrictions were in place.  Five years later, Contigo Technology continues to provide Seedling with IT services.  We are thrilled to share that the Contigo CEO Bryan Fuller became a first time Seedling mentor this year!

Each year we can’t wait to honor the work you have done in partnership with our schools and school districts, to mentor, nurture and grow our mentees.  You show up week after week to build relationships with these future leaders of our community.  Your visits, your consistency, your caring and encouragement mean so much, THANK YOU!