!!! Loving What I Do: Mentoing Rocks !!!

Being a mentor is one of the highlights of my life. The opportunity given to me by position as a Youth Counselor with The Youth Empowerment Program (YEP) in Bennettsville, SC , is greatly appreciated. The children I serve are in grades six through nine and are all precious. The children in this program are learning be open minded as they are introduced to new foods and activities. YEP, starting only a year ago, is designed to serve 36 children and follows the students for three years. The program provides students with academic enrichment, career development,assitance in making healthy food choices, and behavior modification.

Of Course I enjoy it all but I must say that getting to know the children indivivually is the greatest part of all. Learning how the kids react in certain situations allows me better assist them. Knowing that the program is designed to create long- term and or permanent postitive behavior, there are better days than others. Not only do I give of myself at YEp but there are children that I spend time with individually, talk to on the phone, and even email from time to time. As a mentor, I help any way that I can without getting in the way of parents and even helping the parents at times.

Parents are sometimes out of tune with their kids and me being a little closer to their age are able to either identify the issues that need to be addressed and sometimes relate to the emotions and thoughts the children may be experiencing.

I simply love young people especially when they are teachable. Many of them are only looking for just what I've got- Love and Care. Mentoring Rocks and it Matters.... Find out how you can be a mentor, there is always a child in need of one. You can make a difference but please make sure that you are Positive, Alert, Careful, and Honest. Children appreciate the truth even if it hurts and remember to never make promises you can't keep!

Become A Mentor and Make a Difference

February 7th: A Day of Educating and Empowering People:MIllions Effected, Millions More Unaware!

Today is a day that does not recieve ENOUGH publicity although it is a day that everyone should take into consideration. Today is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day! Educating yourself about the epidemic is a neccessity. Not only yourself but your family members, friends and especially your mate.

Millions have been diagnosed with the life threatening disease and there are millions more that are not aware of their status. If you feel that you are responsible enough to make the decision to have sexual intercourse than you should be able to the take the intiative to get tested. Don't get me wrong, I am not encouraging or advising anyone to engage in sexual intercourse but even if you are inactive you can still be tested.

If you are not active because of religious reasons, God has laid the foundation and has left the Bible as a guide for us to follow. Not trying to preach to you, but sex is the consimation of marriage and the bed of marriage is undefiled. Meaning when you are married sex is an act that God intends to take place. God instructs his people to be abstinent (sexually inactive) until marriage. Premarital sex also know to christians as fornication or sexual immorality is considered sinful within the christian faith. Fornication can occur in more than one way. Just because you are not having intercourse with someone does not mean that you have not fornicated. Fornication can take place in both the hearts and minds of people.

For my young saved folk out there pressure from people are menial compared to the wrath of God- Love him and put him first. You are normal!!!- you will have the desire to have sex but remember God's command. We ask of him so much and sometime are not willing to give at all.- Stay strong you are not alone! -Everyone is not doing it and if they are they will have to answer to God for themselves as you will to. For the Young And Old- I urge you to GET TESTED, Know your status and live carefully. HIV/AIDS does not have a certain look.

The most beautiful female or even the most handsome male you know can be infected. So don't just go on their looks and think that someone is exempt form exposure. Also people, do not just take a person's word even if they are your childhood friend, next door neighbor, or first love! : For the Fellas- Women who say they have been tested or that they have never been with anyone else-They should get tested.

And Ladies men who use the excuse that they are afraid of needles or that they don't have any health insurance to get tested, don't fall for it. Another line is " You're the only one- Don't even let that make you feel that because you are supposedly the only one that you are okay without using any protection. There are free testing sites located all around the country- in every state!.If someone is too lazy to go get tested than maybe they are not the one to give your body to. Excuses should not be acepted when it comes to this mattter.

I am very Passionate about the education of people- my community all over. So whether you are Black, White, Hispanic, Inidain etc.... - PLEASE GET TESTED!!!!!- DON'T BE AFRAID TO KNOW BE AFRAID OF NOT KNOWING. THIS IS YOUR LIFE ON THE LINE! FOR MORE INFO ABOUT FREE TESTING SITES IN YOUR AREA click this link http://www.hivtest.org/