A positive influence can make all the difference in life ? just ask any of the six kids who Independence Township’s Greg DiPietro mentored over the last 25 years.
At the Oakland County Youth Assistance Mentors Plus Appreciation Dinner on Jan. 26, DiPietro, 47, was named Oakland County’s Mentor of the Year in recognition of his role in helping area youth through Clarkston Area Youth Assistance Mentors Plus.
As a fitting close to National Mentoring Month, DiPietro gathered for the dinner with other people vital to the Mentors Plus program, as well as five of the youth he mentored.
Michigan’s First Gentleman Daniel G. Mulhern was the keynote speaker, honoring DiPietro and other mentors and volunteers at Santia’s Hall in Keego Harbor.
‘He never told me what to do, but he always would be objective and suggest different scenarios to think about. He always reminded me that there were consequences for whatever I decided to do,? said match Jake Hawley, a 25-year-old Clarkston resident who has known DiPietro for about 15 years.
‘He relates to you real well and has a good understanding of the difficulties of adolescence,? added Hawley.
‘Greg gave me a chance to talk to someone about the way I was feeling, and I was finally able to get my anger out in the open and actually analyze it and realize that what I was doing wasn’t productive to me or anyone else around me,? said Sean Miller, who DiPietro mentored.
Miller, now a 19-year-old sophomore at Lake Superior State University in Sault Saint Marie, exemplifies the positive work contributed by DiPietro as a role model.
In addition to Miller, all of DiPietro’s ‘matches? have earned a high school diploma or GED, while another is attending law school.
‘I was a little surprised. I’m sure there are others more deserving. There’s people who have been in Clarkston Area Youth Assistance longer than I have,? said DiPietro, who continues to mentor.
‘Mentoring is interesting and real fun. I don’t have any children and it satisfies some of my parental needs. It should be done. Children need mentoring,? said DiPietro.
DiPietro was nominated by Joyce Bleim of Clarkston Area Youth Assistance Mentors Plus and DiPietro’s matches wrote letters explaining the importance of him to their lives. Each local youth assistance board with an active Mentors Plus program was asked to nominate one mentor for the award. DiPietro was chosen from the nominees by the Central Volunteer Program Staff and three additional outside persons.
‘Greg has always been there and never hesitates to mentor,? said Cassandra Goulding, a case worker for Clarkston Area Youth Assistance. ‘All of Greg’s matches have grown into lasting friendships out of the love, trust and respect he was able to give to each of his matches. He embodies our mission statement of strengthening youth and families and to reduce the risk of delinquency.?
Other the years, DiPietro spent hours with the kids taking them to movies, flying model rockets and kites, car shows, motorcycle swap meets and other activities.
While DiPietro was assigned to a child for one year, the relationships have gone much longer as some of the children grew into adults.
‘I’m sure it’ll benefit me now with my child,? said Hawley, who is a father and acknowledges DiPietro provides a good parental role model.
The Mentor of the Year Award is given in honor of Lori Ruks who was a Youth Assistance caseworker and a Mentor’s Plus volunteer. Ruks passed away earlier this year while battling cancer.
According to a press release, Clarkston Area Youth Assistance (CAYA) tries to identify the needs of the community and implement programs that help school-aged children and their families. CAYA is one of 26 in the county and offers family education programs, school presentations, a mentoring program, a yearly youth recognition event, summer camp and skill building experiences for community youth.