When you meet Mary Beeman, you are instantly greeted with a beautiful smile, an embracing warmth, and a radiant personality. Beeman brings all of this and so much more to the Guilford Youth Mentoring program (GYM).

In 2007, Beeman was serving on the Board of Education in Guilford. Joe Goldberg, current president of the GYM Board of Directors, made a presentation about mentoring at one of the Board of Education meetings, and it really touched her. She started with her mentee at Baldwin Middle School that year and is still with her as a junior at the high school.

Beeman tells new mentors that once they’ve established trust, the relationship will develop.

“When a student is ready to broach a subject that is personal or uncomfortable, they will, and our job is just to be ready to accept the question and then help them find the answer,” she said.

Beeman gives back in many other ways, too. She works part time at the Women & Family Life Center as office manager. Women & Family Life Center empowers women and their families to face challenges and transitions in their lives with grace and dignity.

Beeman is very active in the Christian Science Church on the Green in Guilford. Her many roles there include treasurer, reading room manager, and substitute reader. She is also a member of the Guilford High School Building Committee.

Along with her husband, Jeff, and son, Schuyler, she hosted a student through the ABC program. The mission of ABC (A Better Chance) is to increase substantially the number of well-educated young people of color who are capable of assuming positions of responsibility and leadership in American society. The student has graduated high school and remains a close member of the family. Beeman believes the same thing will happen with her mentee—they will remain friends long after her mentee graduates high school.

Gardening is a favorite hobby of Beeman’s. During the growing season, she sets up a picnic table and sells dahlias in front of her brown Victorian house across from Guilford Savings Bank. Last year, she sold 500.

This fall, she and Jeff began offering the upper floor of their house as a B&B and listed themselves on Airbnb.com. In their case, “B&B” stands for “bed and bath,” since they decided not to offer breakfast because there are so many great options within walking distance.

Beeman summarized the role of mentoring in two words: I care. She takes mentoring very seriously and says the staff at each school also does.

“Mentoring creates trust, anticipation, and joy that give the child a new sense of worth,” she said.

To become a mentor or help support the program, call Guilford Youth Mentoring at 203-453-2741, ext 269, email solomonb@guilfordschools.org, or visit www.guilfordmentoring.org.