White House honors Yarrow Point mentor

By Leslie Fulbright
Seattle Times Eastside bureau

THOMAS JAMES HURST / THE SEATTLE TIMES Jeanne Robertson, named 2004 outstanding mentor of the year in King County by United Way, is scheduled to meet President Bush in recognition of her volunteer work with the Lake Washington School District.

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"I guess I just get to shake his hand," Robertson said. "I think that will be about it."

Robertson, a mentor with the Lake Washington School District's Lunch Buddy program for more than a decade, got a surprise call from Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. She was told she had been chosen to be recognized by the president, who has been promoting volunteerism, according to a White House press release, and meeting with volunteers across the country.

Since joining the Lunch Buddy program, Robertson has been paired with several children at Kirkland's Rose Hill Elementary School.

"I saw an ad in the local paper in 1991 that said they needed volunteers," she said. "So I went."

Robertson's current buddy is a fourth-grader named Itzel Santiago. Robertson brings a lunch and meets with Itzel once a week during the noon break.

They play games, read books, talk or work on homework. She also meets with her buddy after school so they can do other things like bake cookies, shop or go to the movies.

"You start to develop a real relationship, with the child and the family," Robertson said. "I usually have the same buddy until they move on to junior high."

In addition to mentoring, Robertson likes going to the school to see teachers and other children. She has made lots of friends over the years.

"It's fun to see what they are doing, to walk down the halls and look at art and projects," she said. "It keeps you in touch."

In 2004, Robertson was named outstanding mentor of the year in King County by United Way.
 
"Somehow, the White House got wind of that and I got this honor," Robertson said. "I think all the lunch buddies should be in the limelight, not just me."

Leslie Fulbright: 206-515-5637 or lfulbright@seattletimes.com