Letter from Our President

When I was asked why I founded Village of Light, a teen and young adult mentoring program, I saw an opportunity to address some of the issues that impact our community such as drug/alcohol abuse, violence in school, academic problems, peer pressure, gang membership/affiliation, and more. These are the same challenges that I personally faced during my adolescence and young adulthood.

Growing up, I lived in two different worlds with my three sisters and one brother. As the youngest of five, I remember living in a two-parent, middle-class household when my father was with us. However, after my father's departure, my mother became a single-parent on public assistance, and we moved to Jamaica Queens, where everything changed. I attended several schools in the district, but my attendance and academic levels were not good, and I was terminated from Forest Hills H.S. in the tenth grade.

After dropping out, I began to look at my life and realized that I had a problem with alcohol and drugs. I had also had a few encounters with NYPD and the Justice System. Fortunately, my older sister helped me get my life back on track by enrolling me in an IN/OUT of school program at York College, where I obtained my G.E.D. I then attended Job Corps, where I graduated as a pre-apprentice carpenter, became a New York City District Council of Carpenters union Carpenter, and graduated from the four-year apprenticeship program, obtaining my Journeyman Certificate. I have helped in building many infrastructures and skyscrapers throughout NYC and the five boroughs. I retired on April 15, 2022, after 25 years of service.

The desire to mentor came into being when I stopped drinking, smoking, and indulging in other substances at the age of twenty-nine. I began attending the Allen A.M.E Cathedral Church in Jamaica Queens, where I became a Sunday school teacher serving the five-seven and fifteen-seventeen-year-olds. After serving for several years, I wanted to serve the youth in the community in some other way.

In 2019, I was passing by the African Community Center for Community Empowerment in Saint Albans Queens, where the commercial awning had programs for the community residents on it, including a mentorship program. I went inside to inquire about the mentoring program, but it had been closed for some time. Mr. Kessley, the director at the time, gave me a book, "How to Build A Successful Mentoring Program Using the Elements of Effective Practice" by National Mentoring Partnership, and told me to reopen the program. I assembled a board of directors and a few volunteers, but the commitment required for such a task was insufficient, and the program closed again.

Four years before I retired, I never gave up on the vision. In May 16, 2023, after retiring, I stopped by to say hi to Mr. Kessley. On this day, while standing in front talking, I asked him about the store front church attached to the center. He told me the pastor had passed and no one had been there for some time. I asked him if I could rent it, and he agreed. I then hired a 501(c)(3) attorney to establish the legal structure and selected and established a board of directors.

For several years now, I have been reading information about mentorship from sources such as "How to Build A Successful Mentoring Program Using Elements of Effective Practice" and "Effective Strategies For Providing Quality Youth Mentoring in Schools and Communities" by Hamilton Fish Institute. These sources highlight that mentoring is a time-proven strategy that can help young people of all circumstances achieve their potential. Mentors are caring individuals that are positive role models in the young person's life.

If you want to make a difference, please join us at the Village of Light, a safe place where Love Inspires Great Hope Throughout.

Iverson Bonner | President and Founder of The Village of Light, Inc.