Henry's Story

"A lesson I learned by becoming a mentor is how being present in someone’s life can make the entirety of a difference. I’ve also learned that helping others ends up helping yourself out with your own struggles more than you could imagine.

It’s so important for young people to have positive mentors in their lives because the lived experiences of the mentor attributes to the support they can give young people to make the decisions that will benefit them, rather than harm them. Furthermore, having positive mentors in a young person's life is a benefit because the youth feel loved and cared for.

Throughout our match, my mentee has become the coolest kid. There is no other way to put it. He supports all his friends, family and me. He is on top of everything in his life, especially his grades.

Seeing my mentee bloom into the wonderful person he is today has made me more accountable for my actions and my decisions. My mentee makes me strive to be a better person because I know how much he cares about me."

- Henry Grover, Former Volunteer Mentor