Link ONE Mentoring, One True Light Inc.
Mentee: Skylar, 9th Grade
Years Matched: Seven
Terry Dennard is a vice-president at Legacy Bank and has been a volunteer mentor with One True Light since 2014. Dennard and his mentee, Skylar, have been matched for seven years.
“Terry has been extremely consistent in his commitment to meet weekly with Skylar over the last seven years,” said One True Light administrative director Joan Brock. “Terry and Skylar love playing UNO and eating pizza, which Terry picks up on the way to their meetings each week. Terry is an amazing example to other mentors of what it takes to commit to a long-term mentoring relationship and to build trust over time.”
Dennard and Skylar enjoy talking about science, from physics to ecology, and love just hanging out and telling jokes. One of Dennard’s favorite memories is of a meeting where he got to watch Skylar design and build a kite to fly. Skylar chose to make his kite a pizza kite, which Dennard got to watch Skylar launch and fly with a look of pure joy on his face.
“When Skylar and I first started meeting we had very little common ground,” Dennard shared. “I learned that when there appears to be no common ground that if you look, work, and make a commitment to getting to know one another you can find that common ground and really enjoy the conversations with one another.”
About the Program: Link ONE Mentoring is the cornerstone project of One True Light, a nonprofit connecting local churches and concerned citizens to meet the needs of Duncan Public Schools’ students. Link ONE mentors volunteer once a week, providing support and encouragement, lending a listening ear, and helping students form a positive vision for their future. They may provide academic support or simply help to boost the child’s self-esteem by being a dependable positive adult role model.
