For over 25 years, Mike Metschan has devoted himself to a hidden population of Austin– children who have an incarcerated parent. As a volunteer mentor, advocate and trusted advisor Mike has helped raise more than $500,000 for Seedling and has been a constant support over the years for the children they serve.

Throughout his life, Mike Metschan has been very involved in the Austin community, including being a former member of the Austin Chamber of Commerce, and on the board of our local Boy Scouts chapter. Even before Seedling began formal mentoring in Austin ISD, Mike was already providing mentoring for a child impacted by parental incarceration. In 1998, at a Chamber luncheon, a presenter asked, “Who can give 30 minutes one day a week to mentor a kid?” and he thought “I can!” That year, he was matched with an Austin Independent School District (AISD) 1st grader named Ivory. Ivory’s dad was incarcerated and, due to instability in his home, moved often. Ivory attended six elementary, four middle and three high schools. Every time Ivory moved schools, Mike followed. Mike was one of the few consistent, committed adults in Ivory’s life and cheered him on as he was the first in his family to graduate high school. At 36 years old, Ivory has grown into a healthy, stable adult. Ivory has worked at St. David’s Healthcare for nine years and is studying to be a Registered Nurse. Often, when Mike gets asked “Does mentoring really work?” he points to Ivory as an example of what is possible when a child has a mentor… but he didn’t stop there!

To learn more about Mike and his work with Seedling, check out his Legend Page.