It has been a whirlwind! On May 18th I raised my hand to volunteer at a Hopeworks function and on June 2nd I was at a 3 hour training/orientation at Hopeworks. On June 28th I was introduced to my mentee, Angel. I had no idea what it would be like. Could I really make a difference? Would Angel even like me? Although I was nervous, I was sure if I asked questions and LISTENED to answers and was simply interested in Angel, all would be just fine.
My mentee, Angel, is fantastic. Meeting after meeting I can feel (and when we meet in person) see the difference in his confidence, decision making, and personal accountability. Angel had no car to get him from place to place, but had many commitments, including a 30 hour/week internship and a 40 hour/week Tech Serv position serving as a technical support person in a school for one year. He executed a plan to be accountable to his Internship and Tech Serv program while being accountable, and on time, for his Hopeworks meetings as well…and to help at home and to take time to care for himself. Often times I find myself reminded that both of our lives have similar issues of work/life balance. Today, nearly seven months after raising my hand, I won’t say it is always easy to add one more thing in my life, but Angel inspires me! I practice what I preach, as example is best.
Care about commitments. Keep your word. Communicate with honesty and humility. Everyone will mess up from time to time even when we follow these three rules. But mistakes aren’t permanent and we all continue to learn and grow.
P.S. My wife has decided to be a mentor too…if accepted!
Interested in mentoring a Hopeworks youth? Contact Jay Jackson at jay@hopeworks.org for information.
(photo caption: Hopeworks mentor breakfast - Tony Burruano second from right)
🌟 Introduction Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) is the financial backbone of healthcare. For practices facing rising costs and tighter margins, RCM is more critical than ever. Without it ❌: With it ✅: 🧩 Understanding RCM RCM covers the entire patient-to-payment journey:📅 Scheduling🛡️ Insurance verification📤 Claim submission🚫 Denial management💳 Collections 👉 Every step matters for accurate, […]
If a contractor showed up to fix your deck with a manual screwdriver, you’d raise an eyebrow. Today, showing up to work without AI is the same thing. The shift is already here. 🔧 Would You Hire a Contractor Using a Manual Screwdriver? Imagine you hire someone to fix your deck. They show up, take […]
Philadelphia, PA and Camden, NJ – July 31, 2025 – Hopeworks, a social enterprise dedicated to empowering young adults to establish living wage careers, announces the launch of state-of-the-art AI Innovation Hubs at both of their facilities located in Philadelphia and Camden. The initiative, made possible by an in-kind donation of a DellAI Factory with […]
