Recently a young professional in the community came to our Kemp Mill Group Home where he plans to come every weekend to mentor the young men there. Some of the young men spoke with us about the impact the volunteer is having on their attitudes and goals. The young men said:

“I appreciate him coming to the home, I like him. He talks to us about a lot of stuff like his work and his experiences. He talked to us about stuff we don’t even know about like how to build a career in his field and the different departments. He talked to us about how to act when you want to get a job and how to work on our anger. He talked to us about how we act toward certain things. He talked to us about how to be independent. He’s got faith in us. He made us feel like we could do anything. He gave us confidence. He said he sees a lot of potential in me. He’s funny and his stories are interesting.”

“In a group there’s always one leader who makes people feel great, good, safe, cared for. He’s like a leader. Everybody listens to him. He’s got my respect. He puts effort in. I can tell when people care and I can tell he cares. He answers all our questions. He doesn’t get mad. I feel like he understands me, even though he’s not in my shoes, I feel like he understands me.”

“He influenced us to do better. Like the way he talked to us, it doesn’t seem like we should be in this predicament. He knows we could be doing better and we shouldn’t be doing the stuff we’re doing now. I look up to him like my big brother that passed away. I like when he comes, he makes you feel at home.”

Volunteers, mentors, and tutors can have an immeasurable impact on the youth in our care. If you are interested in mentoring or tutoring, contact Caitlin Ward at cward@heartsandhomes.org