Person Who Changed My Life, The

At some point in our lives, most of us have been affected by caring adults whose advice, guidance, and example made a difference. In The Person Who Changed My Life, individuals who have distinguished themselves in their fields write about the men and women who served as their mentors.

Among the contributors in this updated and expanded edition of Matilda Raffa Cuomo's first book are Hillary Rodham Clinton, Joe Torre, Rosie O'Donnell, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Nora Ephron, General Colin Powell, and many others. The contributors evoke the people who had a lasting influence on their personal and professional lives and, in the process, show how profoundly a mentor can impact the life of a young, or not so young, person.

The book includes a resource section for readers who are inspired to get involved and become mentors or help start mentoring organizations in their own communities. These moving stories by people who have excelled in their professions through hard work, perseverance, and, most important, the helpful assistance of others, demonstrate the long-lasting impact a mentor can have--and emphasize the importance of passing on the gifts our mentors give us.

In 1987 MATILDA RAFFA CUOMO, former First Lady of New York State, established the first statewide school-based one-to-one mentoring program in New York, which in 1995 evolved into Mentoring USA, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to implementing mentor programs for at-risk children in grades K-8. Mrs. Cuomo lives in New York City with her husband, Mario. They have five children and nine grandchildren.