48 Years On, Local Couple Finds Joy in Mentorship

When Richard Hudlow met his first mentee — a quiet, unassuming boy with whom he regularly met for two years — he asked, "What was the best thing that happened to you last week?"

The boy replied, "Meeting with you."

Hudlow returned home and told the story to his wife, Eva, with tears in his eyes.

Richard and Eva Hudlow, now married for 48 years, are the type of couple you would want your kids to be spending time with. Richard and Eva, decade-long Windsor residents, have been mentoring students individually for seven and four years, respectively.

Extraverted, inquisitive, jovial and loving, the couple spend a few days a week at having lunch with their kids, talking and playing games.

Richard began mentoring on the advice of a local police officer. 

He had already made a history of giving back to the community. As the owner of a local chain of gas stations, he had been donating gifts cards and sponsorships from his convenience stores to local kids for years. But it is the personal connection achieved through mentoring that has left a lasting impression on him.

"I knew right away that the most significant thing was that you build a bond," he said.

"I am here to be your friend," He recalled telling his first mentee. " I am going to be your good friend for the time we are in school."

That impact of volunteering his time hasn't been lost on his wife, Eva, who has taken up mentoring Windsor youth as well.

But don't rush to pat her on the back for her efforts, as she strongly resists taking credit for the turnaround some of her students have made. But the support she has given students over the years has helped forge meaningful relationships.

"We would talk about his personal feelings, homework, his family," she said. "You come here trying to help somebody; hoping that you will."

"I always praise them, and give them a little treat," she added with a wink and a smile.

The Hudlows encourage others to give mentoring a try. "You don't have to be a trained person to do this job," said Richard. "Just be a caring individual."

There are presently 14 children being mentored by 16 volunteers at Oliver Ellsworth. The program has been run for nearly a decade, and seeks to pair up caring adults with students in the Windsor Public School system that need a friend that will encourage them and listen.

The program recently expanded to Sage Park Middle School and is looking for a few more adults to mentor students.

For a Windsor mentor application, to register for the mentor trainins session on Tues., Feb. 7, or to learn more about mentoring opportunities in the Windsor Public Schools system, contact Mike Greenwood at 860-687-2000, ext. 266 or email mgreenwood@windsorct.org.