Shane Portfolio, Senior Vice President of Technical Operations and Engineering for the Comcast West Division, knows first-hand how important it is to have a consistent, genuine, trusted friend and mentor in a young person’s life. Growing up in Lafayette, Colorado, Shane and his single-mother often struggled to make ends meet. When he was eight-years-old, his mother heard about Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado (BBBSC) and thought Shane would benefit from having a male mentor or what they call a “Big” in his life. Shane was matched with Paul, who became a trusted resource. Shane recalls how he and Paul immediately had a chemistry and how he “…provided perspective that I was lacking and made a big impact on my life…He provided me context around thinking through things in a more pragmatic way and not just responding to everything in an emotional way.”
BBBSC works to provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. Comcast and BBBSC are both founded in serving others and work together to clear the path to a child’s biggest possible future. Since 2003, Comcast has been proud to partner with BBBSC and many employees across Colorado volunteer their time as “Bigs” or serve on their board, such as Jeff Hamstad, Vice President of Human Resources for the Comcast West Division, who’s served on their Board of Directors since 2013.
Jeff says, “Serving on the Board of Directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado continuously reminds me of the positive impact this organization has on our communities. I also have the pleasure of serving as a mentor in the Mentor2.0 program. Being a mentor has been such a rewarding experience for me being able to personally witness the direct impact of 1-1 mentoring.”
While Shane benefitted from being a mentee, being a mentor can be just as fulfilling. You can help shape a child’s future for the better by helping them unlock their potential.
BBBSC is always looking for volunteers to join in supporting a child to ensure they achieve success in life. Anyone over 21 can sign up, and at this time they’re specifically looking for male mentors and volunteers interested in their high school program Mentor2.0, which matches high school students with college-educated mentors to provide them with the support and guidance needed to graduate high school and succeed in college and the workforce.
Shane is just one example of how having a mentor creates a ripple effect across the lives of the children served, their families, the mentors and generations to follow.
To sign up to become a mentor or to learn other ways to get involved, visit www.biglittlecolorado.org.
