Real Stories

The following are stories of young men who are participants in Shoulder To Shoulder’s initiative, Freedom Hall, which seeks to see at-risk, fatherless young men prepared for life, becoming servant leaders in their community and inspiring others to follow in their footsteps.

Adam
Freedom Hall is a confidence booster for a fatherless young boy

Students from Martin Luther King Jr. Technology Academy attending Freedom Hall have expressed impressive character changes. One young man in particular has discovered a heightened sense of self worth and leadership. From the very beginning it was clear that Adam was attending Freedom Hall for a purpose. Adam is fairly small physically and his voice is gentle and sometimes described as squeaky. It took several weeks of attendance before Adam began to open up to his peers and the staff at Freedom Hall because he would often be made fun of in school.

Over the course of time Adam not only began to open up to his peers but became a natural leader. During our team building activities Adam emerges as the individual who pulls his peers together to accomplish their task. He has really come into his own and it is exciting to see the new light in his eyes as a result of Freedom Hall’s mentoring. Today, Adam is a very popular member of Freedom Hall with many friends.

Not only is Adam excelling academically and socially, but he is now driving hard towards his stated dream of becoming a veterinarian. His dedication to having this dream become a reality is evident in the drastic improvements in his GPA. Adam began Freedom Hall’s program at a GPA of 1.6 and is graduated from 8th grade with a GPA of 2.8. Continued encouragement from Adam’s mentors and peers has taught him that he can accomplish anything he sets his mind to.

Adam, like the other young men in Freedom Hall, is growing up without the loving guidance of his father. Freedom Hall has been established to stand ‘Shoulder To Shoulder’ with fatherless young men for the purpose of preparing them for life.

Adam is now a confident young man with a goal that he believes he can achieve and is working hard at attaining.

By the way, Adam is still small and his voice is still gentle . . .

Bobby
Young man at Freedom Hall finds new direction

Trailblazer. This would be the one word which best describes Bobby, our first Hmong young man to join Freedom Hall. Though small in physical stature, he carries one of the biggest presences in a room. When Bobby first came to Freedom Hall he was very disruptive and seemed to be confounded by aimlessness in his young life. Bobby was putting very little effort into his schoolwork, with a D average as a 7th grader.

During the Freedom Hall summer session between Bobby’s 7th and 8th grade years, something triggered a changed inside of Bobby. Freedom Hall staff was able to see Bobby became a real leader who showed his care for others in many ways. Friendships formed between Bobby and other young men of differing ethnicity. It was amazing to see the ethnic gap bridged.

Bobby is now recognized by Freedom Hall staff and his peers as one of our very best leaders. This is significant for Bobby because leaders amongst mixed ethnicities are not common for Hmong men.

Bobby’s final grades in 8th grade? An A average!!!

Gregory
Young man has lofty goals

Can I help out tonight? This is how I met Gregory Williams Jr. We were getting ready for a large scale work project on campus and we asked if there were young men who would stay afterschool to help. Gregory did not know about Freedom Hall at the time but wanted to help. Gregory was very quiet and stayed until almost 10pm that Friday night.

When the work project started the next morning at 8am there was Gregory Jr again. This time Gregory worked shoveling dirt from 8am to 4pm without a complaint or apparent need.

Gregory has since joined Freedom Hall and we have been blessed to know him. Gregory is one of eleven siblings who live together in a three bedroom house. Gregory was his schools 8th grade class president, identified as the outstanding 8th grade student for the entire district and has been nominated as a California Scholar award.

Gregory showed his determination when he received his 1st quarter grades. His grades were low at a D average. The problem is that Gregory over extends himself and he let his grades slide. Gregory was asked to step down temporarily from his student body president position to correct his grades. Freedom Hall helped Gregory learn to manage his time and we provided tutoring. This help along with Gregory’s strong will to succeed, allowed Gregory to post straight A’s for the remainder of his 8th grade year!

Gregory has a stated goal of becoming the President of the United States of America! Look out America . . .

Haven
Freedom Hall harnesses maturity building in one of its young men

From day one, Haven stood out to Freedom Hall staff leaving a lasting first impression of a young boy possessing great leadership potential. In the beginning this was expressed among his peers in his choices to lead through mischievousness. Haven seemed to behind much of the foolish behavior often expressed in the boys on different occasions, but it was his ability to influence his peers which caught Freedom Hall staff’s attention.

Over the course of Haven’s years as a 7th and 8th grader, the staff at Freedom Hall has seen tremendous progress in Haven’s maturity as a leader. Haven is often the first person to speak on a subject that others many want to avoid. In one instance the group was gathered and some were using profane language in the presence of some adult females. Haven volunteered to apologize on behalf of the entire group even though he had not been one to use the foul language. Haven’s peers recognized his leadership by thanking him after the apology was made.

Haven is maturing into a man before our very eyes and is doing so in spite of the absence of his own father’s involvement. It is testaments like this which spurs Freedom Hall on to remain standing ‘Shoulder To Shoulder’ with young men like Haven.

Isaiah
Steady, Hardworker . . .

Consistency and hard work are certainly positive attributes for a successful life. Isaiah demonstrates a consistent commitment to everything he sets his mind to. Be it school work, sports or a team project, Isaiah can always be counted on to come through.

When Isaiah began Freedom Hall in 7th grade he was very quiet and reserved. Isaiah was not one to freely speak up during our mentoring sessions. As the weeks progressed Isaiah began to open up and share. What Isaiah shares is positive and constructive. He moved from a D to A academically since joining Freedom Hall.

Isaiah has become one of our strongest leaders and is usually one of the 1st guys to volunteer to speak during mentor sessions or group presentations.

Kailan
unlimited potential being unleashed!

We have all known people who from the first day you meet them you say wow! Kailan is that sort of young man. Kailan has a very engaging personality and is looked to as a leader. Most of Kailan’s 7th grade year was puzzling as he underachieved in the classroom and was not willing to take a positive role within Freedom Hall. Kailan’s father lives in another state and his absence is a source of Kailan’s challenges

A turning point occurred for Kailan when he was asked to take some time off from Freedom Hall to think about whether he wants help or not. Upon Kailan’s return it was obvious he had decided to receive help and begin to lead in a positive fashion.

Kailan is now entering 9th grade and is a well established leader at Freedom Hall. All the potential that Kailan’s teachers and mentors see in him is beginning to be unleashed. It will be exciting to see where Kailan’s life will go from here . . .

Semaj
A leader arises . . .

Students at Martin Luther King Jr. Technology Academy are learning valuable lessons at Freedom Hall. In fact, the mentoring program for fatherless young men is opening new doors for youth like Semaj, one of the program’s top students. When Semaj came to Freedom Hall as a seventh-grader, he stood out as a young man with tremendous potential and a hunger to improve. It took a lot of patience and hard work to get him to realize his potential. Before coming to Freedom Hall, Semaj had not worked as hard as he could to be the best student he could be because of the many difficult challenges and overwhelming stress in his personal life, due in part to his father who was missing in his life.

But with the caring guidance of dedicated mentors at Freedom Hall, Semaj became more focused and self-confident. He rediscovered his interest in learning and is looking forward to a future that includes a college education. He was able to move from a D student to a B student in eighth grade.

Semaj and his mother are strong believers in the Freedom Hall program. When they moved outside the Twin Rivers Unified School District boundaries, Semaj was determined to stay with Freedom Hall. His mother agreed, and Semaj rode the city bus one hour to and from school each day.

We are proud of Semaj and all he has accomplished at Freedom Hall. We look forward to continuing our work together through his high school years.

Read More about various mentoring programs you can participate in.

Mentoring makes a difference

STS’s research has found that mentoring has the ability to change the outcome of a young man’s future. Young men who have been mentored for a long term period are:

– 46% less likely to use drugs or alcohol
– 53% less likely to skip school
– 33% less likely to resort to violence
– 59% more likely to get better grades

Can I help in other ways?

YES. Visit the Shoulder To Shoulder website, and find out how you can give of your time, talents, and treasures to help fight the effects of fatherlessness.