Testimonials

Boys

  • Mentor UP is a good place to be yourself and a good place to trust the men who work there.
  • I enjoy coming to Mentor UP every Tuesday. I learn a lot and enjoy the time we get to spend with the mentors.
  • The men who come every week are amazing!! It took me a while to warm up to them, but they waited for me to do so, and when I did, this place became more fun.
  • The mentors were, and always will be, role models for me to look up to.
  • I really like going to Mentor UP and being around other boys who understand how I feel. I like that the mentors spend time with us and take us to do fun things, too. I also like how the mentors are Christian.

Moms

  • The men of Mentor UP have shown themselves to be caring and sacrificial in many ways, on many levels, over these last 8 years. They are like family to my son.
  • After seeing the effect the mentors have had on my son over four years, I believe Mentor UP is the most impactful ministry to boys in the church today.
  • As a mother of a son whose dad passed away, it's impossible to fill the empty void he feels daily. This program has been so incredible for him for many reasons. I can't say enough wonderful things about the mentors who lead the program; they are so kind to the boys and instill Bible-based messages that make such a positive impact. My son looks forward to Monday nights to see his friends and enjoy the company of the mentors whom he looks up to. I highly recommend Mentor UP!

Mentors

  • These kids have some of the brightest minds and biggest hearts I’ve ever seen. To know what they’ve been through is humbling.
  • It’s extremely gratifying to see the boys’ faces light up when they know the answer to a Bible question. Their sense of accomplishment and pride radiates.
  • In the 2 1/2 years our church has been participating in Mentor UP, we have had 40 boys come through the program from two foster group homes. While it is challenging and heart-rending at times, we have seen so much emotional and social improvements in them that it is quite apparent why this program is so important.
  • I feel honored and privileged to be a positive part of these boys’ lives. We mentors are always thanked by them for our consistent presence in their lives.
  • Mentor UP is important to me because it allows me to carry forward the legacy of my father, who was a devoted Christian, father and family man.
  • Over the past year that our church has collaborated with Mentor UP I have seen an almost 360-degree positive turn in attitude from the mentees toward the mentors and the organization due to our commitment week after week of being there for the boys.
  • When they pray, they always include thanking God for us mentors showing up—that is heartwarming.
  • Mentoring is the most rewarding activity I do all week. Not only does it feel good to give back a little, but it's helping young men get started down the right path.

Community

  • Mentor UP has been hosting the foster youth at the Hart Community Homes for over two years. Many of the youth in our program do not have any contact with their natural fathers, and these young men crave attention from a positive male role model. Our teenage boys look forward to their Mentor UP meeting each week and enjoy playing basketball and other games with their mentors at the beginning of each meeting, sharing a meal together and ending the meeting with a Bible-centered inspirational story or message of hope, faith, character development, God’s love or God’s plan of salvation through Jesus. Each week the mentors have shown care, concern, and empathy, and have shared their wisdom, encouragement, and love for these teenage boys, who have been removed from their homes or abandoned by their families. Thank you, Mentor UP, and may God continue to bless this valuable program!

    Program Director, Hart Community Homes
  • Mentor UP has provided our youth with a sense of value and confidence. We often talk about the TRAAIL--Trust, Respect, Availability, Accountability, Investment and Love. Mentor UP epitomizes all of those attributes and strives to extinguish the false core beliefs that our youth arrived with. They are who God made them to be, strong men of significance. Through Mentor UP our youth have learned to trust again and believe in community. I want to say thank you, Mentor UP, for allowing our youth to have an opportunity for success.

    Program Director, New Alternatives Inc. (CRF)
  • Our boys really enjoy the Mentor UP program, and look forward to seeing the mentors each week. Throughout the years the mentors have been a consistent part of our boys lives and have shown genuine love and care for our boys. The boys love the great food and fun activities that are provided each week, and have grown very close to the mentors. We are very thankful for the opportunity to be a part of this amazing program.

    House Manager, Residential Services, South Coast Community Services
  • We have been a part of the Mentor UP program for the past three years. I am pleased to announce that this program has been very influential in providing additional services to the youths in the foster care system. The social and spiritual exposure is very necessary in the development of our youths. We are honored to be able have some of the most amazing men to be examples and role models for our youths. This is one program that our boys look forward to each Monday afternoon. They are provided with good food and different sports activities. The night is concluded with a short Bible study and prayer.

    We look forward to continuing this program, and as we often go through transitions at different points, Mentor UP remains one of the constants in the lives of our youths at the Orange County Group Home for Boys.

    Director, Childhelp Group Homes of California
  • Friendship Baptist Church and its pastor, Rev. Kenneth C. Curry, Jr., are happy to offer our support and appreciation for Mentor UP! We began working with Mentor UP in June 2018. The young men in the program mostly come from various backgrounds within the foster care system.

    The transformation we have seen in these young men has been tremendous. From the time we began to now we have witnessed walls broken down and hearts opened up. Trust is now present where there was none. Some young men had been exposed to Christ before, while others had not. Today, these young men have shown an openness to come more into the knowledge of Christ. Amen!

    The Mentor UP leadership team has been great. They are great to work with and passionate about this ministry. We look forward to future ministry with Mentor UP and invite other churches to join them where God is definitely working!

    Pastor, Friendship Baptist Church
  • Mentor UP has been such a blessing to the boys at the Village of Hope! Each week, Mentor UP provides a safe place where the boys play, eat, study, pray and fellowship in an environment where they are made to know they are valued by men who care about them. Many of the boys in our program have little to no contact with their biological father, so it’s a tremendous blessing for them to be in regular contact with a group of Godly men who are genuinely committed to them. We are enormously grateful for Mentor UP!

    COO, Village of Hope (Orange County Rescue Mission)