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.

Mike found Seedling after speaking with the AISD superintendent to discuss how the district’s mentoring program could be strengthened. After that conversation, Mike was asked to speak at a volunteer workshop, where he first learned about the Seedling mentor program. Seedling was founded in 2005 by John Blazier when he was approached by concerned school principals about the growing number of children affected by the incarceration of one or both of their parents. The mission at Seedling has always been to match students with volunteers who can provide stable, long-term relationships for the students to help them develop and maintain positive attitudes towards school – ultimately encouraging them to graduate. Mike joined the Seedling board in 2014 and along with his direct work with the students involved, he has helped to raise more than $500,000 for the program to date!

Mike is still mentoring today – his current student mentee is a 10th grader named David who he has been with for the past 6 years. David’s father is serving a long-term sentence and his brother died of an overdose. Through it all, Mike has been an unwavering source of support for David, as he was for all the young men he had the privilege of mentoring before him. Julie Barschow, Chief Development and Communications Officer at Seedling, says, “Mike is a shining example of the type of person that has carried Seedling’s mission forward and is a true legend in our community!”