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Erik & Jordan

Erik Blender is an excellent example of a Southeast Portland resident who is making a difference as a volunteer mentor. Jordan, his mentee, is a bright, enthusiastic young person with great potential who was in need of a caring adult male in his life. Erik and Jordan have been meeting since April 2003 and will continue to do so as Jordan makes the important, and sometimes difficult, transition to middle school and beyond. Jordan says that Erik is a great role model because he has good morals, listens, is easy to talk to, and cares about helping other people, even people in other parts of the world. He has discovered all of this through their weekly one hour meetings, where he and Erik share fun activities and conversation.

Erik and Jordan pose on a trip to Multnomah Falls.

Erik has even taken his dedication to the community one step further. In his work as a Real Estate Broker for Prudential NW Properties, he focuses on affordable housing options for his clients and donates a portion of each property transaction to the Mentoring program. Erik can be looked at as a role model for many of us.

If you'd like to know how you too can positively impact the life of a child in your community, click here to learn more about Portland Impact Mentoring.

-Julie Larson

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