A Talbot County student will attend college this fall through the help of Talbot Mentors. The organization selected Ah’Mir Handy, 17, as the recipient of this year’s $1,000 scholarship.
Handy has earned further scholarships that will allow him to attend the University of Maryland Eastern Shore with his first year fully funded. He currently works full time at Hills’ Drug Stores in Easton, along with a part-time job at Brasserie Brightwell, and plans to study Business Administration in college.
Handy came to the Talbot Mentors program when his mother approached the organization for a mentor for his younger brother, Savion. With only the three of them in the household, his mother hoped to have Savion matched with someone who could offer a positive male influence to this middle school boy. Terry Harwood became his mentor.
When Handy’s mother saw how well the relationship was working, she asked Talbot Mentors staff if Harwood also could help Ah’Mir. In addition to being a friend and someone to talk with about the teen’s present and future, Harwood helped Handy apply for college and scholarships.
Handy said he has grown a lot through the relationship with Harwood, even though he only has been matched with him for a year. “Mr. Terry got me the job at Hills’,” he added. “That’s given me a lot of confidence.”
Harwood has more than 25 years of experience helping youngsters grow through volunteer mentoring. He has been sharing his faith-based mentoring style with kids since 1989, when he became a mentor through the Living Classrooms Foundation on Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.
He now counts 17 mentees with whom he has worked through various organizations, including Living Classrooms, Drug Court, CASA, Social Services and Talbot Mentors. Harwood’s 42 years with
Marriott International provides multiple resources with which he helps the young men.
Describing his relationship with Handy, Harwood said it’s a fun relationship and admits himself to getting “goofy” at times to the pleasure of all involved. However, he also gets his mentees to think for themselves. “I ask the kids, ‘What works for you and why does it work?’ It gets the kids to do their own thinking, and I give them the space and time to do that.”
Executive Director Natalie Costanzo congratulated Handy on the scholarship award and credited the efforts of mentors such as Harwood for encouraging many of the Talbot Mentors students to stay in school and build better futures for themselves.
The Talbot Mentors scholarships are made possible through special fundraising efforts and targeted donations, allowing the organization to give graduating students support and encouragement to pursue further educational alternatives.
..
Write a Letter to the Editor on this Article
We encourage readers to offer their point of view on this article by submitting the following form. Editing is sometimes necessary and is done at the discretion of the editorial staff.