Every Monday on Fox 4 Morning News, we bring you stories about mentors in our area making a difference in the life of a child. But one Big Brothers Big Sisters program does something a little different.
It brings local businesses into the picture, showing teenagers not only the person they can be, but the kind of career they can have.
"It really opens their eyes to what is out there," Bryan Blackwell of Big Brothers Big Sisters says.
What's out there is the big unknown when you're about to graduate high school. Like a lot of teenagers, these kids have had their challenges.
"Once a month for four hours, we bring in all the students to our offices," Cole Spedale with Enterprise says. "We have guest speakers, we do numerous things with them to try to help them, not only have a mentor inside our company, but also to see what's out there beyond the school walls."
Enterprise is one of the sponsors. Not only does the company host monthly sessions, but they also encourage their employees to be bigs. They mentor students on things like resume building.
"How to go into interviews and how to be successful. And skills that a lot of them are bringing back and sharing with us that they're having success with and it's a so great to hear," Alex Perrone, Big Sister, says.
Students tell us another takeaway is knowing business leaders have also hit speed bumps on their way to success.
"So when they come and speak, they don't only speak about their job, but they speak about their path and how their path changed and how the job they have now is what's meant to be," Little Sister, Rose, says.
And when you're trying to find your way, that's a great inspiration.
"These kids are faced every single day with plenty examples of people making bad decisions. We want to put them in front of people making good decisions. And can help them make those decisions," Blackwell says.
"Great things, throughout history and throughout the world have happened because somebody believed in someone else. And so that's really what this is about."
