Volunteers In Parole: Mentor of the Month
by Angel Sevilla

Kimberly McFarlin joined the VIP community as a mentor with glowing enthusiasm and excitement. As a young, well-accomplished attorney in one of Sacramento's largest, most reputable firms, she has the background to become an effective role model for someone rejoining our community after incarceration. She received her JD from the University of California, Davis School of Law in 1999, her BA from U.C. Berkeley in 1993 and she is currently an associate for Downey Brand Seymour & Rohwer. As a VIP mentor, Kim is looking to pass on the tools that enabled her to become successful to someone who can benefit greatly. Her eagerness to utilize her skills for the empowerment of the community is inspiring. According to Kim, "I've had a lot of mentors in my life. I wouldn't be who I am today without them."

What is most impressive about Kim is her natural love for people and her ability to maintain an amiable down to earth mentality. She always wears a smile on her face, a smile that can inspire others and bring sunshine to their day. With her friendly demeanor, initiating a successful mentoring relationship is easy. "Kim is just awesome," explains match partner Sheri Price. "She is very down to earth, she's not judgmental and it's really easy to talk to her about anything."

Developing a friendship is even easier with Sheri Price. Just like Kim, Sheri came into VIP with a smile from ear to ear. She welcomed Kim's friendship eagerly. Sheri is an energetic, dynamic and exciting young individual with a passion to help others. She shares her experiences in such an empowering, inspirational manner that she draws people to her. "Sheri is a very warm, enthusiastic, and motivated person. I can tell from the beginning that she and I will be very good friends," explains Kim. Sheri is one of our friendliest participants. She is a dedicated mother and a wonderful friend. One of her main interests as a VIP participant is the empowerment and education of today's youth. She travels to different youth centers and she shares her experiences in hopes that today's youth will not follow a destructive path.

VIP is a statewide non-profit organization that recruits attorneys to serve as mentors to parolees from the California Department of Corrections. At their own pace and in their own way, VIP matches develop friendships that will help parolees successfully complete parole. With California's dismal recidivism rate, mentorship is an effective tool to salvage human lives and to build more stable and safer communities. VIP's attorney volunteers provide guidance and support and act as role models to parolees as they work to turn their lives around. Through the support of attorney mentors, VIP parolees have a success rate of over 70%, and mentees are taking active steps to become productive members of the community.

Kim became a VIP mentor at an interesting time of growth for the VIP Sacramento region. New attorneys who recently completed the Bar examination are looking for positive ways to share their talents with the community. When Kim and Sheri met for the first time, they shared their expectations and reassured each other that they can learn from the friendship they develop. They quickly found common ground, and they immediately knew that they would be friends for a long time. The two meet every other week for lunch, and they share periodic phone conversations. They also plan to visit the California State Fair and the Camellia Symphony.

Kim's positive experience as a VIP mentor prompted her to become a big fan of VIP mentorship. Since she joined the organization, she has offered her support in our recruitment efforts. She speaks to her friends and colleagues about the benefits of mentoring with VIP. Her efforts and her demeanor bring excitement to younger mentees.

With the surge of young, new attorneys volunteering their time to VIP, Kim and Sheri's efforts set the standard for quality mentorship. Sheri Price states, "Sometimes all it takes to make it is for someone to believe in you. When people hear that, they can accomplish great things."

For more information or to volunteer as a mentor, please call Angel Sevilla at the Sacramento VIP office at (916) 324-4142, Ext. 259 or at vipsac@aol.com.