“Can you imagine loving Monday mornings? For a whole school year I did, and I’m not even a morning person! That’s what being a “Big” can do for you. Funnier than that, an eight year old named Brianna loved Monday mornings too! Her mom said Mondays were the easiest day to get her ready for school. Every Monday morning last year I got to see Brianna’s bright smile and it made my whole week. As we read together, played games and even did a little Math, we got to know each other a little better each week.

This year, Brianna and I were both disappointed that her class schedule wasn’t conducive for our visits to be Monday mornings. We then found out that our weeks were just as awesome meeting on Tuesday afternoons. This new time slot posed a whole new set of opportunities, memories, fun and a friendship that is more unique and special than can be imagined or explained. It’s AMAZING how God loves to work in the details!”

Sixty minutes every week can change the life of a child. As Susan described in the above recount of her past year in Kids Hope, she saw this happen first hand in her “Little’s” excitement to see her week after week. The child’s mother saw the effects in her daughter’s attitude toward school and the teacher saw results within the classroom. Proven through Susan’s story, and many others, one hour every week is the most important hour many of these children have. One hour of one-on-one attention, just for them.

Many of our children face a world full of problems they did not create and can do nothing about. Principals and teachers recognize the Kids Hope mentors as an effective, proven intervention in the lives of these at-risk kids. They know how the one-on-one relationships fostered by the Kids Hope program restore self-confidence and personal security as well as encourage academic excellence in their school. As a result, this sixty minute connection can ultimately make a big difference in the life of a child … and that’s no small change!