Logan Herr named Volunteer of the Month at Imagine LA
Imagine LA has deep ties to the Larchmont community. President and CEO Jill Govan Bauman lives in Windsor Village. Hancock Park resident George Phillips Jr. serves as Governance Chair on its board of directors, and Logan Herr, an Imagine LA mentor, recently married Phillips’ daughter, Lindsay Phillips, a grad student. The couple lives on Rossmore Avenue.
In the past, Herr has served in many mentorship roles through his church and work. Imagine LA recently named him its “Mentor of the Month.”
Herr’s mentee, Kaleab, is from Ethiopia. Herr enjoys outdoor adventures with Kaleab, and the two have even climbed Mount Baldy together. However, Herr explained, the most important part of their time together is the conversations they have, whether that’s while hiking or waiting for a wave when surfing.
“Eighty percent of a good mentorship is really just being their friend — someone they can lean on — and getting them to trust you and spend time with you,” Herr said.
Imagine LA works to end poverty and homelessness in Los Angeles by providing resources and programming to families who have faced poverty. Each family member age 5 and up has the chance to be matched with his or her own mentor. Families are mentored for up to 18 months, and mentors usually spend 6-8 hours each month helping their assigned family.
Born in Pennsylvania, Herr moved to Los Angeles two years ago and works as a supply chain consultant. He was introduced to Imagine LA by the Phillips family and appreciates the way that Imagine LA ensures that the basic needs of each family are being met before jumping into a mentorship program — something that other organizations don’t always do, he said. Herr explained that by making sure every family has access to the things they need, such as food, clothing and shelter, Imagine LA gives mentees the opportunity to really focus on getting the most out of their mentorships.
“I realized that what makes Imagine LA stand out is that it’s completely focused on delivering a one-on-one mentorship experience and providing mentorship that actually gives tangible skills to the people in need so that they can sustain and grow themselves as a result and outcome of the program.”
Because Herr hasn’t faced the obstacles Kaleab has, such as living in poverty, being undocumented and speaking English as a second language, the main challenge Herr has faced is having to put himself in his mentee’s shoes. However, Herr said, this has also been the most rewarding part of the mentorship.
Herr believes that while a mentorship should be goal oriented, the most important part is building a strong relationship.
“I think a good mentor is someone that walks side by side with that person, shoulder to shoulder, facing challenges with them together and doing it with camaraderie and bonding involved as well,” Herr said. Visit imaginela.og/mentors.
Written by Abigail Kestenbaum who is a junior at Marlborough and an intern at the Larchmont Chronicle.
This article’s second sentence was revised on 10-04-22 to correct the Chronicle’s error in implying that current and recent Imagine LA president Jill Govan Bauman is only the “recent” president.
Category: Real Estate