Days before Thanksgiving, Jennifer Healy was in her kitchen with 10-year-old Jasmine, furiously preparing for Jasmine's annual pot luck with her Girl Scout troop. As they prepare the sweet potatoes and set them in the oven, they are playing out a typical domestic scene mirrored in countless kitchens. Their adventure, however, started a bit more unusually.

Jennifer and Jasmine met a year ago through United Way Capital Area's 1 Hour for Kids mentoring program. They were matched as part of the Girl Scouts partnership that provides mentors to girls whose mothers have been incarcerated.

"When I took her to Central Market to get ingredients, she looked at me confused and said 'I thought this place was only for white people.' She didn't mean it with the impact we hear, it was just a fact for her, but it shocked me. You never know when those differences will come up."

On the surface, their lives are very different: besides a more than 15-year age gap, Jasmine lives with five family members in a home roughly the size of Jennifer's 3-bedroom apartment. Jennifer shares her home with her sister, a roommate and a cat. The most striking difference is Jennifer had a middle-class upbringing with a working mother and father. Jasmine's mother has recently moved back into the home after being incarcerated during part of Jasmine's childhood.

At first, Jennifer was nervous about relating to Jasmine. "I've never known someone who had spent time in jail, let alone someone related to me. But honestly, Jasmine and I don't talk about it; I don't know anything about her mom's experience, not how long she was there or what she did. It's not all of who Jasmine is and it doesn't define her."

While she had been a donor to United Way for all of her decade-long career at Target and has always volunteered in her community, Jennifer was inspired to do more last year when she learned that 1 in 4 Central Texas students do not graduate from high school. "I thought these girls needed me because it was not a typical mentoring program. You hear about other mentoring programs that get a lot of support, but few people have heard of this program so I thought they needed mentors even more. It's such a unique opportunity -- a Girl Scout troop of all ages where the girls are connected by this experience."

Now, Jennifer spends a few hours each week going to Austin festivals, taking part in campouts and rewarding Jasmine for her good grades with trips to Starbucks. They bake cookies together and make banana bread, a favorite of Jasmine's grandmother.

"I expected an older girl, but they paired me with Jasmine because we both like to bake. I'm lucky to have her, she's a smart kid and she's really good with the mixer. I just want the experience to be enriching for her. I never want her to feel like anything I have is better; I want her to be comfortable with me."

In addition to mentoring, Jennifer also gives back by heading her Target store's volunteer projects. Jennifer plans 15 to 20 volunteer events each year with nonprofit agencies in the Central Texas area, ranging from library makeovers to National Night Out and food drives.

"The whole store loves it that we can get together outside of work. These volunteer projects make a huge difference and help us bond. It's an important part of our team culture. I remember one guy who was having some trouble in his personal life. He volunteered with us for a few events and really enjoyed himself; it helped him be part of our community."

Jennifer's drive to volunteer comes from her mother, who worked for Target as well. "It's about community. At some point, we might all need some help, so it's important to pay it forward. I have the ability to do it, and I don't know why others who also have that opportunity don't give back. I'll make accommodations for my team work with their schedule so they can participate or make sure they have a day off when we have a volunteer project. No one asked me to head these projects, but it seemed like a natural part of being a leader."

In the past year, Target recognized Jennifer for her volunteer and organizing efforts by featuring her in Target's national United Way campaign. "The recognition has been great because it's made volunteering with local organizations and getting volunteers motivated easier. People are really taking me seriously now, when I post big signs with glitter asking them to come out. Even at the higher levels, people will remember me from the national campaign and want to be involved. It's been great to be able to get more volunteers so we can make an even greater impact."