House Mentors
Meet some of our Mentors
Greg and Andrea Veltman - Nizhoni House
Greg and Andrea have been mentors since the fall of 2010. Andrea was raised primarily in Vernon, in British Columbia. After moving to Hamilton, Ontario, to study English, Art and Philosophy at Redeemer University College, she moved to Beaver Falls, PA, to pursue graduate studies in Higher Education at Geneva College. Some of her greatest loves at present are the culinary arts, potlucks, gardens, farmer's markets, farms, aspirational spaces, and sharing good food and thoughtful conversation with friends. In addition to her mentor responsibilities at Nizhoni she spends her time working as Calvin's Off-campus Housing Coordinator, painting with oils in an art class at Calvin and exploring the beautiful city of Grand Rapids. Greg is pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Pittsburgh, with a focus on the philosophy and sociology of education. He currently teaches Diverse Perspectives on Education at Grand Valley State University. He also writes regularly about film for Comment Magazine.Greg loves conversations at the intersection of higher education and culture, as well as engaging and discerning popular film and music. Most of the time you will find him reading a book or Wired and Fast Company magazines, listening to Garrison Keillor's News from Lake Wobegon podcast, or watching a TED talk.
Doug and Susie Vander Griend - Koinonia
Doug grew up in Grand Rapids and graduated from Calvin College & Northwestern University, Doug is now a tenured chemistry professor at Calvin. Susie grew up in the Chicagoland area and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley. After meeting out west, Doug and Susie married in July 2001, and moved to Grand Rapids after living in Los Alamos, NM and Greenville, SC. In 2010, they sold their Grand Rapids home, and, along with our three children (Lucas, Asher, Daria), dived into living in community through Project Neighborhood. Their desire was that "our lives might be more about people and less about stuff." They love spending time with friends, travelling, and enjoying good culinary eats. They are deeply committed to Jesus and serve their church, Oakdale Park CRC, where Susie leads a children’s ministry and Doug leads as an elder.
Expectations of Mentors
To foster the goals of Project Neighborhood through serving as a participant-mentor in the life of the house and giving leadership through modeling, mentoring and facilitating a house environment which is caring, accountable, shaped by prayer and biblical principles.
Primary Responsibilities
- Facilitate and encourage the active participation and ownership of the students in developing and living a common life together in which they relate to one another as image bearers of God, bridge social and economic barriers and develop vision and capacity for service.
- Facilitate the formation of, participation in, and reflection upon the community of the house, including weekly house meetings which attempt to develop desired outcomes for the project.
- Facilitate house meetings to determine responsibilities related to housekeeping, meals, property maintenance and neighbor relations.
- Provide mentoring and discipleship avenues for residents.
- Ensure the maintenance of the physical structure of the house, in connection with the facility supervisor.
- Develop positive personal relationships with neighbors and facilitate the student's efforts in this regard.
- Serve as representative of the college.
Interested in becoming a PN Mentor?
We will be hiring in the beginning of April. Please look for the job posting in early March.
