Ten-year-old TJ hums softly as he balances his baby sister on his lap, then helps his grandmother settle into her favorite chair. “He’s my heart,” she says, smiling.
When TJ’s father went to prison, his grandmother worried about how he would grow up without a positive male role model. “I wanted him to have someone who could show him what it means to be a man,” she recalls. So, as soon as he was old enough, she signed him up for her local Mentoring Youth for Leadership (MYL) program.
Through Leadership Foundations’ MYL
network, young people like TJ are matched
with mentors who listen, guide, and model
what leadership looks like—both in everyday
moments and over a lifetime.
That’s where Dylan comes in. He and TJ
spend time doing the things TJ loves—
playing baseball, watching movies, grabbing
a burger. But between the laughs and the
batting tips, something deeper is happening.
“He’s like a friend and a coach,” TJ says
thoughtfully. “He helps me with baseball
and school and how to make good choices
and pick good friends.”
Dylan sees it too.
“Investing in TJ has a huge multiplication factor,” says Dylan. “We talk a lot about how he leads his younger siblings and it’s important to represent to them who he wants them to be. When I first met him, he didn’t know how to swim, and now that he’s learned I get to watch him patiently leading his little brother around the pool teaching him to swim too. He’s learning to lead by example—and that’s powerful.” Every week, Dylan invests time, encouragement, and care into TJ’s life. And that investment is paying off. TJ is thriving in school, winning awards on the baseball field, and becoming a steady, positive influence on his younger siblings.
HOW YOU CAN MULTIPLY IMPACT?
Too many children—especially in under-resourced communities—grow up without steady, caring adults in their lives. Without that support, they’re more likely to struggle in school, face economic hardship, or become involved in the justice system.
That’s where MYL comes in. Across the country, MYL mentors foster personal responsibility, strong character, and leadership in more than 1,000 youth and 800 families every year. Research shows that when young people have mentors, they’re more likely to succeed in school, give back to their communities, and grow into resilient, capable adults.
You can help make that difference.
Just $90 a month trains mentors like Dylan and supports families like TJ’s— ensuring that kids have the consistent care and guidance they need to thrive.
Right now, more than 1,000 kids in 30 cities are waiting for someone to believe in them.
You can help reroute a child’s future— starting today.
Will you join us?
