25 Years

Written by Aidan’s mom, Jane Aidan, my bright and happy boy, began meeting with his Kids Hope USA mentor, Miss Stacie, in the fall of 1st grade. They met every Wednesday, and that day quickly became his, and my, favorite day of the week. I had a continued and overwhelming sense of peace and happiness, […]

Just like so many of our Kids Hope USA students, I love spending time with the mentors I have in my life. I’ve been lucky to have incredible coaches, teachers, and leaders who have shaped my outlook and worldview – just like Kids Hope USA mentors do for their students each week.   One of my mentors shared

“Could you help me find a mentor for my son Miles?” Jane asked. She had heard about Kids Hope USA from a friend whose son had a mentor. Miles is a quiet, fifth-grade boy, and his mom hoped that having a mentor who was committed to their friendship would help his self-confidence. A few weeks

Written by Pastor Greg Rensberry, Pastor, Mapleview Free Methodist Church, Niles, MI I started mentoring Cody* at the start of his kindergarten year. From the beginning of our friendship, I could feel his distance and anxiousness. He was withdrawn and I knew he was afraid to trust me. One day I arrived at school and

Contributed by: Anne Broaddus, Director Columbus Avenue Baptist Church, Waco, Texas Davina Pennington, Regional Director, South and Southwest, Kids Hope USA In 2009 our principal asked us to pray for 3rd, 4th and 5th graders as they took the state mandated tests. She assigned each child a number on a master list of student names,

Written by Kara Nguyen, Kids Hope USA Director of Development and Kari McLennan, Kids Hope USA Program Support Specialist For 17 years, Mr. Gary has been a Kids Hope USA mentor through his local church. He’s invested countless hours into the lives of kids in his community, and when the opportunity came to start with

Christmas reminds us that gifts come in all shapes and sizes, and the monetary value or usefulness of a gift is far less meaningful than the intent, especially when given by a child. Chase was a happy kid and he loved spending time with his mentor, Ken. He was open to doing his schoolwork, playing

Jan and Evelyn have walked together on an unexpected journey of friendship for more than 7 years! They met when Evelyn was a 4th grader at Jane Addams Elementary in Palatine, Illinois.  At that time, Evelyn was having a tough year in school and really needed some encouragement.  She was a very quiet girl but each week, Jan