Spotlight on Mentoring
May
Husband and wife share experience as CIS mentors
About five years ago, after both their children had gone off to college, Ed and Lisa Timberlake looked around at their empty house and decided they needed something to fill the void.
Ed Timberlake stands outside of Lexington Senior High School with his mentee of five years, James. Timberlake's wife, Lisa mentors James' sister, Aleesta.
“It just seemed to be a natural extension for us,” said Lisa Timberlake of her and her husband’s decision to become mentors with Communities In Schools. “Our kids were leaving and we had always been involved with their schools; Ed coached sports and I volunteered for teachers. We didn’t want to not do that anymore.”
Already very active in their church, Grace Episcopal, the Timberlake’s thought joining the mentor program would help them take their community activism to the next level. Both cited the support they and their own children received growing up as a driving force behind their desire to give back.
“I’d been blessed growing up by having caring role models who had positive influences on me,” said Ed Timberlake. “I wanted to try to return this favor and volunteer my time to help someone during their tough growing years.”
When Timberlake met his mentee, James, in 2006, the sixth-grader had just lost his father and was reticent. Now in eleventh grade at Lexington Senior High, James says Ed has helped him develop self-confidence.
“I never used to talk to anybody,” James said. “When I met Ed I came out of my shell. He’s somebody I can talk to when I’m down.”
Timberlake, a pediatrician at LexMedical Pediatrics and LexMedical Adolescent Clinic, says James is a very serious student and has always been known for his good attendance and behavior.
“People sometimes ask me why I don’t play sports and I tell them I don’t do any sports unless I’m satisfied with my grades,” said James, who wants to go to college to be a computer or electrical engineer.
“I have really seen his self-esteem and self-confidence grow and grow,” said Timberlake. “This has opened his eyes to so many more possibilities for his future.”
Lisa Timberlake sits with Latoya (right) and Aleesta (left). Lisa has been mentoring both girls for several years.
Lisa Timberlake, who teaches
after-school art classes at the Grace Episcopal Arts Academy and is the program coordinator for the G.R.A.C.E. Girls program, said sharing the mentoring experience with her husband has made it even more meaningful.
“It’s nice to have somebody right there to bounce things off of to be sure you’ve got the right perspective,” she explained. “There are a lot of obstacles these kids are facing and it’s nice to have someone to release it to without breaking confidentiality.”
Timberlake and her mentees, Latoya and Aleesta (James’ sister), enjoy eating in restaurants, going to the theater and talking about current events, school and books.
“She taught me how to be calmer and how to deal with situations differently,” said Latoya, a ninth grader at Lexington Senior High. “She lets me do things I’ve never done. Things like putt-putt; I didn’t think I’d like it but I did. And she took me on my first trip to Carowinds.”
“She helps me in biology a lot,” said Aleesta, still holding the Ziploc baggie full of fungi Lisa brought from her backyard to help with a project the ninth grader was working on. “I like talking to her.”
“There is such a need for youth to have supportive adults in their lives,” said Timberlake. “(But) I’ve learned much more than I’ve given.”
“For such a small commitment you get repaid many times over by the friendship that can develop with the student you mentor,” said Ed Timberlake. “I get as much, or more, out of the experience as James. I get to experience the trust that develops over time, the honor of being welcomed into his life and his family and the reward of watching a special young man grow into adulthood.”
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CIS is part of the nation’s largest stay-in-school network, helping young people stay in school, successfully learn, and prepare for life by connecting needed community resources with schools. Founded in 1997, CIS of Lexington/Davidson County currently serves 23 schools in both the Lexington City and Davidson County School systems. If you would like to become a Lunch Buddy and mentor a student in need, please download a Mentor Application today.