246. Mentoring is a Calling with Al Nodarse from Faithful Friends PDX

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If you are a mentoring leader, check out the You Can Mentor learning labs. We are a monthly leadership cohort that surrounds you with equipping and encouragement from other mentoring leaders. For an hour each month, we discuss a topic that will help you be a more equipped and encouraged leader. We have two cohorts: one for executives and one for program directors. Check out our website for more info. www.youcanmentor.com 
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On today's show, we have Al Nodarse from Faithful Friends Portland. Al comes to Faithful Friends as Executive Director after a career spent in business growth and revenue. Raised in Texas to a Spanish-speaking household, he and his wife and son lived in California before moving to the Portland area in 2007.  Al has served on over 10 non-profit boards/committees focused on helping youth and is excited to shift careers from the for-profit to non-profit worlds. He began his mentoring journey as a college student in Texas and hasn't stopped, believing firmly that most of the problems in society could be solved through mentoring. On weekends Al and his family love to check out car meets.

Here's some info on Faithful Friends: 

We cultivate mentor relationships that inspire growth, resilience, and hope.

In 1991, Duncan Campbell set out to determine the best way to transform the most vulnerable children’s lives. 

He was determined to find a way to help children that was grounded in solid research, was focused on quantifiable results and considered the return on investment. A two-year research project identified that the best way to create real change is to start working with children early and provide each of them with a long-term, consistent relationships with caring adults. Based on these findings, Duncan founded Friends of the Children in 1993. Duncan wasn’t finished! 

For over 30 years, he has hoped to see the Christian faith community serve vulnerable children through mentoring. In January 2013, Duncan Campbell was introduced to Josh White, the lead pastor of Door of Hope Church in Portland. Duncan shared his vision for the church to be an active participant in serving the needs of vulnerable children in the city. Together with Josh, they formed a vision to birth a faith-based mentoring program out of Door of Hope. This program would become Faithful Friends Mentoring Program.

Faithful Friends began in March 2013 and now has 20 church partnerships and over 70 active mentor/mentee matches.

https://faithfulfriendspdx.org/