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News BLOG |
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July 2008
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Reflecting upon my mentoring experience in the YNOW Children of Prisoners program has shown me how fortunate I am to have been given the chance to create new relationships while giving back to our community. Connecting with the youth in the program, hearing their stories of the loss they experience from not having one of their parents around, finding new ways to help them explore the challenges they face, and having lots of fun have all been rewarding experiences for me as a mentor in the program. Others would agree that children need a variety of people and experiences to help shape a well-rounded life and the YNOW mentoring program provides that support for our at-risk youth by bringing the community together to share and grow. Leading my youth, Tony, through some of the choices he faces has given me a renewed sense of who I am and what I have to offer. Whether it is helping him with school work and interacting with siblings and peers, or staying on track to develop and achieve long-term educational and life goals, being a mentor to Tony provides opportunities to share my thoughts, fill many needs, and challenge a young mind to learn and grow. For those in our community looking for ways to connect and make a difference to a young mind, I recommend the YNOW program as a perfect fit. Our city is a great place to live, work and play, and we need to continue to find ways to grow in support of each other. We all experience loss in our lives but it is even more challenging when it hits us in our youth. I can see now just how much need there is in our community for the YNOW program and I feel I can continue to make a difference through the connections I am making. Hopefully we can continue to grow the program by encouraging those in our community to come out and make a difference by sharing who they are and what they know about life. Thank you for your support of the YNOW Children of Prisoners program – together we’ll make even more of a difference to the future leaders of our community. Paul Rooprai is a mentor with the YMCA Children of Prisoners Program • Melissa Swan's series: Children of Prisoners 1 CommentsLeave a comment |
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WHAS11.com Political Blog
WHAS11 Reporters blog the latest political news from the campaign trail and beyond. 
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I just want to thank Melissa and WHAS for airing this important story. Our teens have it hard enough. But those who are at risk have even more at stake. Our community needs Y-NOW because there are so many who need the kind of help they offer. And they produce positive results - as witnessed in the story. I urge anyone reading to consider volunteering their time to this worth-while cause. Not only will they help a youth in need but they will get more out of it than they ever thought possible for themselves. If you can't volunteer Y-NOW can always use financial help. These are loving children and each one of them needs someone who cares about their future.