Josh’s journey to becoming a mentor at Community of Hope started last year when he was visiting his neighborhood farmer’s market and was handed an informational flyer on mentoring opportunities. “The flyer came to me at the right time in my life. I knew I wanted to work more directly with the people benefiting from the services that a non-profit provides,” says Josh, who moved to DC in 2019 from Florida, where he volunteered as a board member at Special Olympics Florida.
In January, Josh was matched with his mentee, Miguel, an eleven-year-old boy in Community of Hope’s permanent supportive housing program. Josh and Miguel meet around three times each month and have enjoyed many adventures exploring the city in that time. Josh takes Miguel to the dog park regularly to play with Josh’s dog, Mashugana aka Shug. They have gone to a Spiderman movie and Dave & Busters to play video games and explored the farmers market and an auto show together.
“I want this to be a fun and uplifting relationship, but I realize all kids could benefit from time focused on studying, school, and learning. I struggle to find the balance between traditionally fun activities and others,” says Josh. In addition to their adventures in the city, Josh takes Miguel to the Silver Spring library to practice reading. “We set a goal to read a certain number of books together.” Josh recently noticed an increase in interest in reading by Miguel at a Community of Hope mentors’ gathering at Busboys and Poets, where he was excited to explore the books.
We spoke with Miguel, who said, “I am really improving in reading with Josh, like a lot. And I have so much fun with him too! Like he reads the first chapter of a book, and then I try to read the next chapter. And it’s really fun — like learning is meant to be.”
Miguel’s mother has also seen improvements in her son since spending time with his mentor, “Miguel does so much better in reading since he met Josh, and Miguel loves him, which is the most important thing,” she says.
Mentoring is never a one-way street. Miguel has also taught Josh new things. “Miguel has taught me about the value of consistency. Even when we are not doing something elaborate or involved, he enjoys the consistency of our time together more than doing adventurous things,” says Josh.
Josh recommends mentoring at Community of Hope as a rewarding way to give back. “We are all obligated to invest our time and talent into lifting up people who perhaps did not arrive in the world with as many opportunities as yourself,” says Josh. “I would encourage people to become a mentor — it adds meaning to your life and to the lives of kids in the community.”
Becoming a mentor is just one of the ways to volunteer at Community of Hope. To learn more about volunteer opportunities and the eligibility criteria, you can check out our FAQ page or email us at volunteer@cohdc.org.
