Page 12 - MidWeek - Feb 9, 2022

12 MIDWEEK FEBRUARY 9, 2022
Humans thrive on healthy relationships to grow and enjoy life. Unfortunate- ly, some children grow up with- out positive relationships. That’s where Big Brothers Big Sisters Ha- wai‘i can help. We support mentor- ing relationships for youth who’ ve experienced serious trauma caused by the death, divorce or imprison- ment of a parent; household vio- lence; or other circumstances. We support volunteer mentors to meet the unique needs of youth they’ re matched with.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandem- ic, we supported up to 1,400 men- tors with children ages 6-16 years old each year with matches such as mentor Lee and child Mulu.
Mentor Molly Prado and Tana jam out on ‘ukulele during one of their outings.
PHOTOS COURTESY BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS HAWAI‘I
Titus also needed help with schoolwork, expressing himself and engaging more in the com- munity. Being matched with Chris for the past two years, Ti- tus now participates in sports and other outdoor activities, which have also increased his cognitive
It takes funding and volunteers to help children. During the pan- demic, we aren’t able to hold our usual fundraising events, so we need more individual donations.
One goal for Mulu was to help him express his feelings. Short-
ly after Mulu lost his father, Lee took him out to “clear his mind.” Although his father hadn’t been
active in his life, losing him had a serious effect on Mulu. Lee had recently lost his father too, so he
Please visit bbbshawaii.org or call 808-521-3811 to learn more about how to donate, volunteer or apply for services. Join our village!
How Volunteer Mentors Help Our Youth Thrive
By Dennis Brown, president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawai‘i
felt comfortable talking with Mulu about losing a loved one. Both Lee and Mulu’s mom say that Mulu is learning that it’s OK to talk about his feelings.
skills. Titus used to be afraid of being bullied, but Chris’ positive influence has helped Titus become more confident.
Meanwhile, mentor Chris and youth Titus have developed a spe- cial friendship. When we inter- viewed Titus, he wanted to connect with his “Hawaiian side.” Fortu- nately, Chris works with organiza- tion that specializes in services to the Native Hawaiian community and knows a little about that.
Mentoring is more about the relationship than the activities. A strong relationship develops friendship and trust.
These lead to the child believ- ing in what their mentor says and the example they set. This, in turn, can help the child reach their fullest potential.
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