We can’t emphasize enough the appreciation we have for your donations in Utah. They help us to build positive and lasting mentoring relationships that empower kids. In celebration of National Mentoring Month, this blog is going to highlight some of history’s best mentoring figures.
Plato
Around age 17 or 18, Aristotle, the future “Father of Western Philosophy” enrolled in Plato’s Academy in Athens. He remained a student of Plato until age 37 when his mentor passed on. Plato himself was mentored by Socrates and, thanks to his teachings, Aristotle went on to mentor Alexander the Great.
Gopal Krishna Gokhale
The teachings of Gandhi have inspired many, including Martin Luther King Jr. But did you know he had a teacher too? Gandhi revered Gokhale as a guide and their meetings together had a lasting impact long after Gokhale’s death in 1915.
Johanna Mansfield Sullivan Macy
A fantastic example of a lasting mentorship is Hellen Keller and her mentor Johanna ‘Anne’ Sullivan. She helped Hellen learn to navigate her dark, silent world, tutoring her for 39 years. Together, they became advocates for the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB).
Brother Mathias
Babe Ruth didn’t work up to all those home runs on his own. During his childhood, young George Herman “Babe” was sent to St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys where he met stern but kind Brother Mathias. They would spend hours together working to perfect Babe’s talent for baseball.
A. V. Cauger
Even the magic of Disney was first empowered by a mentor. In 1910, Arthur Vern Cauger opened a Kansas City Slide Company. Among his employees was 18-year-old Walt Disney. Cauger was supportive of Walt’s interest in film, regularly loaning him his camera so the young artist could experiment. Years later, Walt openly welcomed and honored his Missouri mentor when Cauger and his wife came to visit.
Of course, some of the best mentors go unsung. This is why we are always grateful for all of the donations in Utah. It has helped us to both find and support our inspiring mentors for local kids. As these examples show, when we defend potential in our youth, we defend potential in the future.
