Mentoring Plus

In 2014, 19 year-old Masius addressed an audience of over 200 supporters to tell them why Mentoring Plus is part of his life:

"Before I started Mentoring Plus, I lived in Alabama and moved to Cincinnati when I was 15. I felt like, in this place, I had been given up on. Like I didn't belong anywhere - wasn't wanted anywhere.

I was also unemployed, unprepared to get a job, and had no confidence in myself. I had no vision for my future, and that really didn't bother me at all.

When I joined Mentoring Plus, I started working on getting back into school and learning how to find a job. I met wonderful people who cared, and motivated me to do more for myself. They believed in me, and nagged me, and pushed me to work on my goals, and that helped me get back some of the confidence I had lost.

Since I've joined Mentoring Plus, I have gained the skills I need to be independent - keeping a schedule, interviewing well, dressing for success, and a good work ethic.

I recently found a job, and I really have been doing well. The day I got the job, I felt like God had finally heard my prayers, and was rewarding my years of struggle and hard work. I also just got my driver's license and saved up enough money to buy my first car.

My plan for the future is to get my GED and go to college for business, and someday open my own barbershop. I have opened a savings account and learned to manage money, which will help me achieve my dream of owning my own business. I want to thank Mentoring Plus for the help they have given me and for never letting me give up on myself.

ONE  YEAR LATER:  Since graduating from Mentoring Plus, Masius is still working hard, having kept his job for almost two years now. Masius did purchase that first car, which has allowed him to improve his work schedule and increase his on-the-job training and advancement. He is continuing to work in his GED program, and still visits his second "family" at Mentoring Plus from time to time. We planted a "seed of hope" for him in 2012 - hope for Masius and for his future -  and we have been privileged to watch him grow into the hard-working young man he is today.

Mentoring Plus helps young people like Masius every day, by providing powerful mentoring relationships and comprehensive, long-term social services and skills training. The skills matter, but the relationships matter more - when we refuse to give up on our kids, they won't give up on themselves.