It takes more time for some of our family members to see what we have to offer and take that first step towards help that is sometimes difficult to accept. That's okay -- everybody heals on their own timetable. Everyone needs to find their own way. Sometimes it's the smallest step and sometimes it's the longest leap. Our mentors' steady guidance, sympathetic ear and strong shoulders make that leap a little shorter -- that's their job.
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Life was one big blur -- Dennis was failing English, his teachers were riding him and he was thinking about dropping out of school to sell hot dogs at Yankee Stadium. Adrift and unfocussed, Dennis was ready to explode. Dennis needed help. He needed someone he could talk to -- someone who would listen to him and treat him like a human being. Tuesday's Children got Dennis a mentor he could talk to -- Bill, a bear of a man with a heart of gold. Over lunch at McDonald's, Bill realized Dennis couldn't read the menu. Bill saw what teachers and guidance counselors missed -- Dennis needed glasses. Tuesday's Children got Dennis glasses, and now he's back on track and seeing things clearly. Thanks to Bill, Dennis now dreams of college and automotive design -- not just being an auto mechanic. Dennis is thriving in school. His grades are improving. He's enthusiastic. And he's seeing something he never saw before: a future.
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Dennis didn't come to the notion of dropping out of high school for a job at Yankee Stadium all by himself. He had help. That's exactly what his older brother Kerwin did after September 11th. But positives are infectious. Kerwin may have dropped out of school but Kerwin is no dummy. He saw the change in Dennis -- a change for the better. It wasn't long before Kerwin was following in the steps of Dennis -- not the other way around. Now Kerwin has Mark, a mentor of his own. Now Kerwin has a couple of other things, too -- his high school diploma and his self esteem. The future looks good.
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