What started out as an urgent Facebook post turned into an overflow of men willing to be a mentor.
The Facebook post read, “Please share!” Kristina Chaade was helping organize “Breakfast With Dads”, an event at a Dallas middle school where boys can spend the morning asking adults whatever’s on their mind — from how to put on a tie to how to plan for college — over muffins, fresh fruit, and OJ. About 150 children signed up, all requesting a mentor. For many, their dads couldn’t make it, or they didn’t have a father figure in their lives.
It’s hard enough to get kids to want to talk to an adult; these students were going out of their way for the chance. Chaade, along with event organizer Rev. Donald Parish Jr. and school administrators at Billy Earl Dade Middle, weren’t going to let them down. They put out pleas on Facebook, sharing wherever they could. They had some volunteers, but they needed 50 to 100 more to meet demand.
The response was immediate. In fact “The [event’s] site crashed because of so many men signing up to participate.”
On that December morning, just before Christmas, nearly 600 men showed up, ready to mentor. Everyone had advice: A member of the National Guard told them what it’s really like serving in the military; an auctioneer showed them how to snag deals at a rapid-fire pace. Many of the mentors brought extra neckties (one of the lessons that day was learning how to tie one); all were ready to share their skills, their time — whatever the crowd of 11- to 13-year-olds needed.