It can sometimes be overlooked that the children at our Rescue Mission programs experience the effects of their parents’ homelessness and hardship.  At the Rescue Mission it is our goal to not only restore the men and women that come to the Rescue Mission and strengthen their families, but also to break the cycles of homelessness, abuse, and addiction for their children.
Over the years, we have seen an incredible positive impact of the Girl Scouts program on the young girls living at the Village of Hope, and we realized that the boys needed something similar.  And that’s when Mentor UP came along, in perfect timing.
Mentor UP is a mentoring ministry for the young boys living at the Village of Hope. This ministry meets on-campus every Wednesday night from 5:30-7:30 PM, and provides, at no cost to the family, a meal, games, activities, a Bible study and life mentoring.  In addition to the weekly meetings, they take the boys on frequent outings, including bowling, movies, and miniature golf. Mentor UP also has the boys participate in community service projects, such as filling food boxes and creating personal hygiene kits for homeless families, giving them the opportunity to learn to serve others and give of their time.

An interesting component of the Mentor UP ministry is that they mentor the boys as a group, not one-on-one. Volunteers are not assigned to any particular boy, but instead have the opportunity to interact with all the boys. This bonds the group as a whole and creates a community aspect that grows relationships not only between the boys and the mentors, but among the boys themselves as they grow in love for one another.
This ministry has been incredible for the young boys living at the Village of Hope.  Many of these boys have no father figure in their lives, and are dealing with the effects of a chaotic childhood.  The Mentor UP men provide valuable relationships to these boys as positive, healthy, and stable role models.
Mentor UP is in need of more volunteers to join this ministry and care for these boys.  If you are a man interested in making a difference in the lives of homeless boys, please contact Megan at megan.schultz@rescuemission.org.  I encourage you to consider volunteering. It’s an opportunity to make a tremendous impact in the life of these boys and their futures. 

Giving online is easy, safe, and quick. Your donation will make an immediate impact to provide meals, shelter and services for a homeless family in desperate need of a hand up to self-sufficiency.