Rich Franklin
Since becoming a mentor with Positive Images, I have found my life to be richly rewarded and inspired by the honesty, warmth, trust, intelligence, humor, and support of the members of Positive Images. These young people, who the outside world sees as “possibly troubled, maybe confused, and for sure different” are so much more grounded, aware of themselves, and models for acceptance and diversity then anyone (including themselves) could possibly imagine. When I committed to joining Positive Images as a mentor, I thought I would be able to offer myself as a role model and someone who could provide support and guidance, when in fact I feel like I am the one who is learning and being taught important life lessons by this special group of caring youth and young adults.
I also have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for the co-directors, Jim Foster and Nancy Vogel, who freely give so much of their time and energy to making this organization continue to thrive and prosper. And I want and need to acknowledge the mentors who preceded me (especially Martin Jones who I can only hope to pattern myself after) and the committed Board Members, benefactors, and parents who have given so much of their time and themselves to Positive Images. The value and importance of such a support group in today’s society cannot be measured or fully appreciated until you hear the inspiring, touching, and amazingly articulate stories of how it has impacted the lives of these kids. I feel extremely lucky and grateful to be a part of the Positive Images family.
On a personal note, let me just ramble on and try to paint something of a word picture about who I am and why I decided to join Positive Images. In many ways, I feel like I have been a mentor and teacher all my life. I come from a large family (the youngest of nine children) and grew up with most of my older brothers’ and sisters’ kids. I always felt like I needed to be a role model for them and tried to help them find their way through difficult times. I also planned on being a teacher from the time I left high school. I graduated college with a secondary teaching credential and planned on teaching English and Film Studies as well as being a coach. When I left my home state of Iowa in the early seventies and arrived in San Francisco there were not a lot of teaching positions open. I ended up taking entry-level work in the Human Resources department of a large SF brokerage firm where I eventually worked my way up to being a regional manager and officer of the company. Even in the workplace, I saw my role as a teacher and always tried to help and mentor other employees.
I like people of all ages, races, sexes, and orientations, and have always gotten along well with young people. I had always believed that I would have a lot of kids of my own, although that never became a reality for me. I got involved in the School-to-Career program in the Petaluma School District through my job as the HR Manager for a small software company because of my interest in education. I was instrumental in building a very positive internship program at my company. I like working with and getting to know young people. And, I believe I have any easygoing, accepting personality that makes it easy for me to get along with almost anyone. I have been searching for a way to contribute and be a positive part of giving something of myself back to the community. By being a mentor, I hope that I can make a difference for someone and provide an image of a well-adjusted, happy older gay man that is a little bit different than the typical gay stereotype.
Email Rich: richlf@sonic.net
Other Mentors
Martin
Jones
Michelle
Sudina