When Gayle Wilson spoke about her husband, Pete, at a Children's Hospital of Orange County mentoring conference on Thursday, we learned that the governor is strong in English, but his algebra days are well behind him.
And when the governor of California followed her to the podium, he opined, between plaudits for her, that she can also be "a bit of a smartass."
Such affectionate public candor from someone with presidential ambitions says much about the close relationship the Wilsons share. The governor and his wife were in Orange County to push their goal of recruiting "one-quarter of a million" mentors in the state for at-risk youth by 2000.
Pete Wilson suggested "it has to start one kid at a time." The Wilsons are trying to set an example: The governor and his wife are serving as team mentors for a young Sacramento man. Gayle Wilson suggests a team approach to mentoring if it makes you more comfortable, or something you'd like to do as a couple.
Mentoring isn't difficult to define: It just means being a responsible adult in the life of someone who isn't used to having a whole lot of responsible adults around.
How's Orange County doing on mentoring? The county's Community Development Council has taken a lead role by setting up what it calls the Community Mentor Partnership of Orange County, now in its second year. It helps companies that want to establish a plan for allowing their employees to mentor young people as part of their duties. Alan Woo, the partnership's planning director, said it has about 1,000 mentors right now--with a balance of men and women. But it has a goal of 2,500 by the year 2000--one-100th the Wilson goal.
Young people who need mentors, he said, come from referrals from the county Probation Department and other social agencies or private groups that deal with youth. "Unfortunately, there is always a waiting list," he said. "Sometimes it takes us up to 18 months to hook up a young person with a mentor."
Julio & Pete: The governor got a chance to meet Julio at CHOC. He's the barrio character played by Susie Vanderlip of Orange in her Legacy of Hope show, which tours across the country.
Vanderlip is my idea of a mentor. She's been volunteering her time to the Community Development Council to help establish its mentoring program. Her show addresses drugs, alcohol, teen pregnancy and loneliness, through dance and a host of characters such as Julio. It was a huge hit Thursday with the corporate and government leaders at CHOC. I've seen it three times now; if your school hasn't sought Vanderlip's show yet, I recommend it.
