On June 5, 2017, the Opportunity Greensboro Fellows Program held a Mentor Dinner at the O.Henry Hotel. Thanks to the event sponsors, Quaintaince-Weaver Restaurants and Hotels and The Brooks Group, the event ran seamlessly and all attendees enjoyed the atmosphere and good conversation. Throughout the evening, several speakers addressed the 100+ guests – the speakers included:
Cecelia Thompson, Executive Director, Action Greensboro
Frank Gilliam, Jr., Chancellor, University of North Carolina at Greensboro & Opportunity Greensboro Co-chair
Leah Clark, Manager of People Department & Sustainable Practices Initiative, Quaintance-Weaver Restaurants and Hotels
Jeb Brooks, President and CEO, The Brooks Group
Beth Mannella, Opportunity Greensboro Fellows Program Director, Action Greensboro
As a reminder, the 53 Fellows in the Opportunity Greensboro Fellows Program cohort each have a local community Mentor for this summer! Mentors include Andy Zimmerman, Brent Christensen, and Nancy Hoffmann, among 50 other community members who want to give back to local college students and the greater Greensboro community by mentoring the Fellows. To better prepare mentors and mentees (the Fellows) for a successful 10-week mentor relationship, the dinner served as a formal way for the both parties to interact with each other and the large group of mentors/mentees.
When leaving the event, mentors exclaimed that the dinner was great and such a fun opportunity to meet their mentee and the other Fellows. For many Fellows, this experience was a first…first time at the O.Henry Hotel, first time having a Mentor, and first time networking with over 50 community leaders!
Several mentors followed-up after the dinner to share feedback/insight on the event. One mentor, who mentored one of the 2016 Fellows, said, “I thought the introductory dinner on Monday was great. We had a solid discussion at my table, and it helped break the ice for the mentees. One of the mentors at our table did a lot to facilitate the discussion with thought-provoking questions that applied across the board to everyone at our table. The mentees shared their perspectives, what they learned during the Leonard Kaplan Leadership Institute at CCL, and what they expect, and the mentors shared tips and encouragement.”
This event was possible thanks to our event sponsors, Quaintance-Weaver Restaurants and Hotels and The Brooks Group.
