This past weekend, AFC’s dedicated Board of Directors met for an all day retreat at the beautiful Boston College Cadigan Alumni Center. AFC Board Member and co-chair of the Development & Communications Committee, Lisa Rowan-Gillis, shares some of her takeaways here. Thank you, Lisa & Boston College for hosting the 2014 Board of Directors Retreat!
—
AFC’s Board poses for a photo during their day-long retreat at Boston College.
“I continue to be inspired by the life changing work of AFC Mentoring. At our board meeting on Saturday, a new board member passed around a memory box of homemade cards, ticket stubs and memorabilia that she has collected over her seven year relationship with her mentee. Because of the outstanding love and support the mentee has received from her mentor, our young mentee is currently a freshman in college. This is no small feat considering the odds of foster children going to college are abysmal; only 3% of youth in foster care will graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree. It’s fair to say that this relationship is now a lifelong relationship.
I also learned at the board meeting that the average length of a mentoring match at AFC Mentoring is an astonishing 26 months, while national averages hover around nine months. Imagine what that commitment must mean to a youth. It could likely be the one thing that keeps them going. It could be the most important relationship in their life.” – Lisa Rowan-Gillis, AFC Board Member & Development & Communications Committee Co-Chair
