There’s an old, amusing proverb that goes something like: “If you see a turtle on a fencepost, you know it didn’t get there by itself…”
Now, we could debate about all the philosophical implications of such a statement (e.g. Why is he up there? What does he do now? How does he get down?), but let’s not lose sight of the simple truth—we need each other. No man is an island, and no man is an independent, fence-sitting turtle. We all live on the success and shoulders of those who have gone before us. Now this is not to say that we cannot choose to rise above circumstances and create our own legacy. It just means that we all started somewhere, and we’ve all needed guidance from life veterans along the way.
At Firewall, we may not specialize in reptile habitation, but we do work hard to better the lives of youth, families, and their community. The key of Firewall’s success lies with the personalized touch and mentorship that we provide for students. We walk beside these students throughout their school years and help live life with them. The legacy of Firewall testifies to lives which have risen beyond the stationary fencepost of circumstances and found success beyond their wildest dreams. One of our recent Servant Leaders expressed his appreciation of the Firewall mentorship program:
“Firewall has been an amazing help to my life! The mentors have helped me with all of my schoolwork and my home problems. Ever since I started Firewall, my grades and attendance have improved.”
– Brandon Esposito, Senior, Western High School
A turtle may not need to be on fencepost, but we all certainly need community. We need people to speak into our lives. We need mentors—people who have been there, done that, and can now help us to do better. And we strive to do just that. Here at Firewall, we are not just changing academic scores. We are changing destinies!
