LIHUE — Myra Sunada said mentoring has helped her daughter in a big way Monday at the Lihue Civic Center, Moikeha Building. “She’s had a mentor since she was in the third grade at Eleele School,” said the mother of
LIHUE — Myra Sunada said mentoring has helped her daughter in a big way Monday at the Lihue Civic Center, Moikeha Building.
“She’s had a mentor since she was in the third grade at Eleele School,” said the mother of Waimea High School freshman Brianne Sunada. “They spend time talking about all kinds of things, including school. I think she’s really gotten a lot of help from the mentoring.”
January is National Mentoring Month.
The proclamation was issued by Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. to the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.
“It feel really good to be able to help,” said Erika Esposo, a Waimea High School student who has been a mentor for three years. “This is my third year with my ‘little’ who I started with from the first grade.”
Carvalho said the Big Brothers Big Sisters program on Kauai has been serving keiki since 2007, making a positive difference in the lives of the island’s youth by helping them achieve their potential through relationships with volunteers as their role models.
“Mentoring has been good for me,” Brianne said. “I’ve had Angela Rice as my mentor for three years, and now, I want to be a mentor, too.”
Children who participate in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program that have mentors are 52 percent less likely to skip school, 46 percent less likely to use illegal drugs, and 27 percent less likely to use alcohol.
“One of the hardest parts of being a mentor is to set a positive example,” said Ashley Pascual, a Waimea High School mentor who is entering her second year as a mentor. “I have a little from the second grade, and we have fun. It’s a great feeling to see how you are helping someone by being a positive role model.”
