Confidence serves as a key motivator and catalyst in life. Learning and growing require a willingness to take steps forward, to take a chance, to stretch. As child psychologist Dr. Emilie DeYoung says, “Confidence enables a student to move through circumstances in order to thrive in life.” Yes, every kid needs confidence. However, Kids Hope …
Can I tell you about Avi a hypothetical, average American 8 year-old child? Avi will be our guide to understanding some important experiences of the average American child…. First, Avi—like all American 8 year-olds at the statistical average—spends about 2 and a half hours a day with some form of screen media, such as YouTube …
The Power of Reading Aloud to Instill a Love of Reading Read More »
As mentors, we have glorious intentions of loving our mentees, of nurturing them, and making a positive difference. Right? The day-to-day reality of this intention may fall short at times, though. If our students are chosen to be in Kids Hope USA because they are vulnerable, the odds may be higher that they may be …
The Power of Reading Aloud for Relationships, Part 3 Read More »
Roger is a reader. A big reader. Tom Clancy, Harlan Coben, Lee Child, The Wall Street Journal, and many others are pleasant companions of his through life. As a Kids Hope Mentor, Roger wonders about reading aloud to his mentee, Zion. Would Zion get as carried away with stories and information about the world as …
Sammy is quick with a smile and quick on his feet. He’s in 3rd grade but his teacher only occasionally reads aloud to his class. He heard more stories in the first few years of school, but those memories are growing dim. Before school, he hadn’t really ever sat on someone’s lap to hear a …
One of the best parts of mentoring is witnessing the growth in your student’s life. Sarah Dornbos, a director from Eagle Rock CA, recently saw a students life come full circle. She celebrated with Fernanda, a former Kids Hope student who completed mentor training this fall. The celebration was way bigger than just finishing the …
Mentorship is anything but a quick-fix. Brian and Cheryl Richardson have seen the ways long term mentorship impacts their lives and their students’ lives in so many ways. They have been mentoring Skyler and his aunt Maizie Grace’s life for the past three years. They are quick to say that the friendship they have is …
One of the most important things we can do is create a strong and lasting bond with students. It is so significant and powerful to see relationships grow outside of school. Doing something fun and memorable that breaks the routine helps everyone connect. Mentors in Corpus Christi, Texas will be doing that at the beginning …
Each year at Kids Hope USA, we find ourselves inspired by stories of hope and joy that are the result of one-on-one relationships between mentors and students all over the country. In order to celebrate this, we thought we would recap some of our favorite Kids Hope USA moments of 2017! 1) Annabelle and Aiden …
Each year, it’s our privilege to honor KHUSA Directors from across the country who have served for 5, 10, or 15 years with us! Congratulations to each of you for giving years of leadership, service, and love to your church and community! Directors celebrating a 15 year anniversary: Linda Ahlgrim (5/21/2002)- Rocky Mountain Christian Church, CO Carol …
