Omaha program pushing to recruit 60 male mentors by end of October

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Since he was 11-years-old, Matheu Dominguez always had his big brother Andrew.

“I really found like, someone that I could open up to. Someone I could count on, someone who could be there for me,” Dominguez said.

Now at 19, he told 6 News he’s a better version of himself because of their connection.

“I recently became a dad, so he’s taught me things on how to parent,” said Dominguez.

But Andrew isn’t Dominguez’s biological brother. Rather, he’s his mentor through Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands.

“He was having some issues at school, being bullied and he was a very quiet kid,” said Dominguez’s mother, Brenda Rodriguez, who felt one of the best ways to get him help was by placing him in the program. “I thought having someone outside of his parents would make a different impact in his life.”

Research backs the argument that mentorship has positive affects on kids.

“Reports show that kids with a male mentor do well or go on [to] stop having bad habits. They’re around the family more, they have better friends,” said Olga Navedo, the Latino Mentoring Program Coordinator.

While male mentors make a big difference in lives of young men, they’ve been hard to find. That’s why Big Brothers Big Sisters is hoping to recruit 60 Men in 60 Days. They’re halfway to their goal, with less than three weeks to go.

“We have a little over 100 kids waiting, but most of them – it’s always mostly boys. And it’s hard to get them matched when we don’t have enough male mentors coming through the door,” Navedo said.

One of those boys on the waiting list is Rodriguez’s youngest son, who’s 13.

“If they could just kind of think, personally, think back to when they were a child and just reflect about what they didn’t have. They could provide that to another child,” Rodriguez said.

Dominguez doesn’t take for granted the importance of Andrew’s affect on his life. But he says the relationship isn’t just for him.

“Take some time away from whatever you’re doing and being able to spend time with your mentee, I feel like that can also benefit them,” he said.

According to Navedo, mentors will need to spend 4 hours a month their mentee for a year at minimum. However, connections often last well beyond that time.

60 Men in 60 Days ends October 30. You can find more information here.

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