Colin Witt’s years of coaching and work in the court system put him face-to-face with hundreds of young boys, but he’s found a way to reach out to one teenager and make a difference in his life.

By volunteering with Mentor Iowa, the attorney with Ahlers & Cooney P.C. has spent the last 3 1/2 years mentoring Bobby, a 15-year-old who needed a friend.

“Ten years from now, I just want to know that I was a push in the right direction,” Witt said.

After Witt received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Iowa, he moved back to Central Iowa. His experiences as a basketball coach in Newton inspired him to mentor, so he could focus on one person in a way that was “not so much about sports but more about life.”

His work in the court system, two years as a law clerk for Ronald E. Longstaff, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, exposed him to criminals and their children, who were left without a source of guidance.

“I remember seeing people being sentenced in federal court with their kids sitting in the back of the courtroom,” he said.

Mentor Iowa, founded 30 years ago by a retired Iowa district court judge, found its niche through the court system, finding mentors for children who are referred to the program through a court order by a judge.

Marty Lester, Mentor Iowa director, said 80 to 85 percent of the children who come through the program have found themselves in the court system, not because of what they did, but because of what was done to them.

“With our program, we’re providing someone who wants to be there on their own time and make a difference,” Lester said. “And the kids can tell that.”

Witt, like other mentors, went through an application process and a wide range of background checks. “A lot of these kids have been let down by adults, and we definitely don’t want to add another adult to that list,” Lester said.

After Mentor Iowa approved him, Witt selected Bobby, who was then 11 1/2, from a set of profiles.

“I wanted to help the kid who had been waiting the longest,” he said. Bobby had been waiting to be matched with a mentor for more than a year. “I didn’t want him to wait any longer.”

Mentor Iowa requires mentors to spend six hours each month with their mentee, with at least one face-to-face meeting every other week. In weeks when they don’t meet, the mentor makes contact with the child through some other form of communication.

Witt and Bobby began spending time together, walking Witt’s dogs, watching sporting events and going to movies. The program also asks mentors to take the children along on routine daily errands to teach them a little more about life. Mentor Iowa also provides group activities, such as outings to Sleepy Hollow Sports Park or the Science Center of Iowa.

“It took six months to really build up a comfort level to where we could have conversations, he could talk to me and ask me questions,” Witt said.

They used Bobby’s affection for Witt’s dogs as a volunteer opportunity, becoming licensed dog walkers at the Animal Rescue League of Iowa Inc.. And they recently went on a daylong trip to Chicago to see a Chicago Cubs baseball game at Wrigley Field.

“We’ve learned to appreciate what the other person appreciates,” Witt said. “What I’ve had to do is learn to watch cartoons, play video games or go to a movie I might not otherwise want to see. And in exchange, he’ll go to an I-Cubs game with me.”

Witt taught Bobby to play chess. They play with remote-control cars and build models. Witt took the boy to Omaha for a visit to the Henry Doorly Zoo. And they have come to enjoy cooking together as well.

“He likes spicy food so we’re always challenging each other and trying to one-up each other to see who can eat the spiciest food or who can cook the spiciest food,” Witt said. His wife, Jennifer, has also become an important part of Bobby’s life and the couple make sure to include him in their activities.

“I want to expose him to a new set of events. If it’s not his cup of tea, that’s OK,” Witt said.

Witt’s dedication to his mentor relationship with Bobby has not gone unrecognized. He was honored in January by Gov. Tom Vilsack for his dedication as a mentor during National Mentoring Month.

“Colin’s been with his match a long time and that’s a commitment right there,” Lester said. “He’s willing to go above and beyond with Bobby.”

Through Mentor Iowa, Witt will technically remain a mentor to Bobby until he turns 18, but says he is “willing to be a part of his life however he wants me to be” and be a source of unconditional support.

“I want him to strive and thrive and in 10 years be able to support himself,” he said. “We have a view in America that we are self-made, that we control our own destiny and we need to pull up our own bootstraps. Some people can’t find their bootstraps.”