Maryia Muñoz’s husband (a nurse) lost the job after his first month. The couple had already been in the U.S. six years when they moved to New Jersey. “I’ve lived in the U.S. for seven years,” she explains. “But here, it’s a dream. Being in this community and working with these organizations—being with these nonprofits and getting that support. It’s so great.”
The Muñozs had met in college, but didn’t have many connections before they both enrolled at University of Michigan. Their friends introduced them to the “Mentors.org” project, which is a nonprofit in which they participate.
“We didn’t think anything of not calling it mentors. It’s a huge honor, but it isn’t a great role to be in,” says Maria. Maria had already been in the workforce for two years, but she had an internship in the nursing home space.
She joined mentors with an open mind and a keen interest in the work she would be taking part in. “Before coming here, I was very passionate about my job. I wanted to do something amazing, make things better in our community,” she said.
Before she could complete her internship, she and Mateo got married. After months of marriage counseling, Maria had quit her previous job—one she had enjoyed for the same reasons—and took a more permanent job at a nursing home. She left her job in August 2011, and now manages her husband’s home-care.
One of their greatest goals is to connect the underserved community with a nursing home to give them better services. “The underserved people that we want to reach are people that are homeless, single moms, senior citizens, those who are struggling with chronic diseases, those who are dealing with mental illness, and we want them to utilize our services, but it has not been possible for them yet,” says Mateo.
In addition to the Mentors.org team as Mentor #1, there are several others who are part of the Mentors.org program and working in other communities. “They’re all helping to be Mentors,” says Mateo. “They’re helping to be mentor for our Mentors on the floor, but the Mentor is one of the most difficult role to be in and so, we need Mentoring as much as possible.”
And just today, mentor