MOULTRIE, Ga. — The Moultrie Junior Woman’s Club recently announced the April Mentor of the Month: Brooks Sheldon.

Sheldon is a native to Moultrie and is now retired from a long career with the banking industry. He continues to serve in multiple ways during his retirement. He served on the Ameris Bank Board, and is currently serving on the Colquitt Regional Medical Center Hospital Authority. He is also a member of First Presbyterian Church.

“Sheldon gains joy from being involved with our mentees and has actually been involved with our local mentoring program since the start of its structure in 1998,” the club said in a press release. “In the beginning, it was the community and schools that controlled the program, before it was changed and housed within our  YCMA.”  

Sheldon has had the opportunity to mentor more than a dozen students in his mentoring career of 20 years. Sheldon is currently at the high school, mentoring with a 10th grader. He started with this student during junior high and has been able to continue his relationship into the student’s high school career.

When asked what one of your greatest accomplishments is as a mentor, Sheldon explained, “Establishing the relationship is probably the biggest thing. When you first meet, there is an obvious age and maybe even a cultural differential between the two of you.”

Sheldon went on say that when you work to overcome those challenges and factors that might at first set you apart and establish the relationship, it is rewarding and well worth it.

Another interesting gain for Sheldon is being able to explore possible careers options with the mentee. Whether it’s going to the hospital to take a tour to assess if a certain job appeals to the student, or setting up another appointment for another type of industry job setting, Sheldon is there to help and be the guiding hand, the club said. Sheldon hopes to continue building relationships with mentees and continuing the history of Moultrie’s mentoring program.

The YMCA mentoring program is a school-based mentoring program working with more than 200 volunteers from the community. To find out more about how you can become a mentor in our community, contact Sarah Adams, Mentoring Director, at 985-1154 or sadams@moultrieymca.org.