“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does."

The other day, I took out this “giant word puzzle explosion” book that was given to me when I was about 11 or 12. I can’t believe that I still have it after all these years or that I remember who it was that gave it to me.

It was so long ago and I don't remember her name, but I know she was this blond woman who worked for Phelps Dodge (we went on a tour of her workplace). Most importantly, I remember that she was my very kind assigned mentor. We lost touch when I moved on to middle school and she moved to another state, but she still made a positive influence in my life.

Mentors really do change lives...

By now we’ve all learned that not all adults are kind, open-minded or supportive of our dreams. But after having a mentor, I learned that adults can be very encouraging, thoughtful and loving, even if they aren’t related to you.

I won’t say that having a mentor makes every bad thing in your life go away, but I am saying this: when you grow up with positive enforcement in your life, you learn that you can take control of it and do great things. It is because of the mentors in my life (including my family) that I joined band, choir, Upward Bound (a great program which I will discuss in another post) and graduated from college with a bachelor’s degree.

Bob Dylan once said, “A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom.” For me, this means that we should try to help others for the good of the world when we have the freedom to do so. You don’t have to be rich, extremely smart or have your life all figured out in order to donate your time to someone in need of a friend. It just takes empathy, enthusiasm and the will to make positive and responsible decisions.

The way I see it; everyone is inevitably impacted by their surroundings including the people in them. So why not join a group that ensures that many children will be left with a good impact? (click "Read More" below)

A great organization to consider: 


One philanthropic program in particular that has stood out to me is is Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, which aims at changing the lives of children and teens who are facing challenges that call for the advice and companionship of a mentor. In other words, if you decide to volunteer and be a friend to a struggling kid, not only will you most likely help them push through their obstacles; you'll change their outlook in life so that they'll truly believe in themselves and become great people.

You may or may not have heard of this national non-profit organization, but from the statistics and personal statements, it seems like it’s one of the most effective groups out there.  There is pretty much one in every city, including where I’m from; El Paso, Texas.

21-year-old University of Texas at El Paso student Gabe Frank has been a “Big Brother” for five months now. It all started with a BBBS ad he saw on a billboard. Rather than passing by and seeing it as just another advertisement, his curiosity lead him to become a mentor for a 9-year-old boy who needed a role model like Gabe.

“At first he was really shy, but now he initiates more conversations,” said Gabe. “This experience made me realize how there are people out there who don’t have much but are still happy when they have companionship.”  

He teamed up with his dad Saul, who owns El Paso’s Benny’s Pawn Shop, and together they created holiday dinner packages for 80 families in the EP BBBS program. These packages included turkey, vegetables, bread, milk and pumpkin pie. How awesome is that?

“Not everyone is fortunate enough to afford a Christmas dinner and we want to give back to the community in a way that we could do something for people in need,” said Saul. “We hope that we can do this every year.” I hope they do too.

For single mother Marie Manzanares, the donation helped immensely.

“I’m usually the type of person who gives instead of asks but I really needed the help and am so grateful for this,” said Marie.

Two of her children are enrolled in BBBS. She said the best thing that has come out of the program is the fact that her children’s mentors sincerely care about them.

Many of the kids who join BBBS are facing adversities such as growing up with a struggling single parent, being bullied or lacking stability in their lives in general. For mentee Jamie, consistency and emotional support were the exact things that her “Big Sister” Michelle Amezcua provided when she went through foster care. By taking her out to the museum, ice skating rink, or simply hanging out at home and baking, Michelle helped Jaime stay positive through the hardships.

So why not join?

Big Sister Michelle Amezcua and Big Brother Phil Robinet with their  mentees Jamie and Matthew. Courtesy of Big Brothers Big Sisters of El Paso

Right now, there is a need for more mentors for El Paso’s BBBS. You don’t have to have much money to spend time with your mentee. Mentors are provided with a list of free things to do in El Paso and parents of the mentees can provide financial assistance for activities that may require money. BBBS also uses their funds to take mentees to seasonal events or hosts activities such as Bowl for Kids’ Sake and Dance for Kids’ Sake. All that is required is a valid driver’s license and car insurance with your name listed as the insured driver, a background check, two mentor trainings per year and a commitment of one year to your assigned mentee in which you see him or her twice a month. Of course, you must also be 18. Once accepted into BBBS, you are matched with your mentee based on similar personalities and the area of town you live in (that way you won’t have to drive across town to see your mentee).

It’s as simple as that. There are mentors of all types from college students such as Gabe Frank to Phil Robinet, a father of three grown girls. He and his “Little Brother” Matthew immediately bonded through their fascination for science and watching the show MythBusters. Helping him out with science projects and taking him to see the past DaVinci Exhibit at the El Paso Museum of History, Phil has enjoyed their time together as much as Matthew has, saying, “I truly feel I get as much or more out of this friendship than Matthew does.”

Based on every story I’ve been told or read, mentors have made positive impacts in their mentees’ lives. Sandy Sanders, whose husband is constantly on the road working as a truck driver, said that since her two children have enrolled in BBBS, they have become more outgoing and are receiving better grades in school.

“Big Brothers Big Sisters has been really instrumental in helping gear my children towards positive choices,” said Sandy. “I hope more people join the program because it really does make a difference in children’s lives.”

For those who are reading this and want to become a Big Brother or Big Sister, more information can be found at bbbs.org (or bbbsep.org for my El Paso friends/readers). If you don’t have time to become a mentor but would like to donate to BBBS, you can also do so through the website.

I really hope that this entry has inspired some of you to become a mentor. With great sincerity, I believe that it’s programs like these that help build better communities in the long run.