Mentor a Foster Child on Long IslandBridges provides mentoring to foster care children at group homes. LIYM meets with the group home and discusses where the needs and the available resources to meet those needs overlap. LIYM further works with the staff in the home to assess and identify the children who would both want and benefit from a mentoring program. The youngsters are between the ages of 14 and 20. They are in these group foster homes for many reasons: some have no parents and are true orphans; some have been removed because of abuse and others have been sent there by the court system; and still others are emotionally disabled and unable to function in their own homes for a myriad of reasons. There are about as many reasons as there are children.

Most of these young people long for adult interaction that gives them direction, hope, and support. They want someone who is there just for them and just because they care. We are currently matching the children in these homes with adults who are meeting with them on a weekly basis.

LIYM develops a Bridge Team with a local church that has a concern for troubled youngsters. Appropriate mentoring matches are set up. As a comfort level is developed between the home and the Bridge Team we look for additional opportunities of service to the home, e.g. life preparation classes such as resume writing and interview skills, conflict management, career opportunities, etc. With the consent of the home, various parties or work projects may also be initiated.

“Is there someone out there just for me?”
“Is there a person who cares about me without being paid to talk to me?”

The answer is yes, there is. God claims these children as His own and He is calling and sending Christian men and women to communicate His love that has been there all the time. These are the broken ones. God is the healing answer. Is God calling you? Contact us. We will join you in seeking the answer to this question.