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Seven years later, David Garner remembers his mentor.
He was "one of a couple students" who had the opportunity to
be mentored at his secondary school in Cambridge, England.

         "My mentor was a businessman who dropped by
             the school every couple of months," said
               Garner. "He was the type of person I really
              hadn't had access to before. Our
                conversations got me interested in
                pursuing a career in a business field."

              Today, Garner is a business student at the
           University of Manchester on a one-year I/T
        assignment at IBM. He reports to Adrian Mills,
      an IBM Global Services program manager who   recently became a school governor at Rydens
School in Weybridge (30 minutes west of London).

"A school governor helps administrators and parents make
local decisions on topics such as teacher hiring, curriculum and budgetary issues," said Mills, who asked Garner if he'd like to be

Photo caption: David Garner helped establish an IBM MentorPlace program in Weybridge, England for 25 students.

involved in the assignment. "David jumped right in, and after meeting with teachers and consulting the On Demand Community site, he decided that a mentoring program would be a great help
to students."

It's all right here

Garner credits the IBM Weybridge team with creating a "buzz" among employees about becoming mentors: "It really spread very quickly. I'd ask someone and then they'd contact someone else. Everyone was very keen about getting involved and helping the students at Rydens. This office

UK Map and caption: Weybridge is located about 30 miles west of London.

has a lot of mobile employees, so it was also attractive that mentoring could be done at any time."

The Weybridge MentorPlace program is one of 36 efforts involving more than 600 United Kingdom employees and students. There are also pilot programs underway with UK universities.

"Developing this education/business link with IBM, to complement our existing school programs, has provided a fantastic opportunity for all our young people at Rydens School," said Kelia Wescombe, instructor for the MentorPlace class.

"The mentors are offering the students excellent role models by sharing their good humor, enthusiasm, experience and expertise. Some students might not voice their gratitude but the larger community most certainly will."

A thesis: Corporate responsibility

Garner - who has been at IBM for less than six months - found the On Demand Community site to be very organized and convenient. "All the MentorPlace tools, from training to classroom exercises,

parent presentations and procedures were readily available online and in one place," said Garner.

His On Demand Community experience has tweaked Garner's interested in the impact of philanthropic projects on business. He has personally seen the impact on morale and team building, and is considering devoting his thesis to the subject. "I'm convinced an ethical business that is involved in community issues has a positive impact not only on its employees, but also on shareholders," said Garner.

And what do his friends and family think of

Photo and caption: David Garner, far right, with MentorPlace students and faculty from Rydens School in Weybridge, UK.

his association with IBM? "I have a token 'well-off' friend who recently hosted a formal boat party for a bunch of us on the river Thames. We were all dressed up and drifting down the river when we came upon a large, luminous, white IBM sign on a building. I said 'That's where I work' and everyone was very impressed. I felt good about that. This is a great company."