ROUSES_SeptOct2019_Magazine

From left: NFL defensive back Bivian Lee; Son of a Saint mentees enjoy special experiences (like arm wrestling a WWE star), often as a reward for good work or achievement; Founder Bivian "Sonny" Lee III with Son of a Saint mentees.

everything that I could outside of just mentorship, even taking them to and from places. I was picking boys up. I was going to their schools and talking to their teachers. If there was a conduct issue, I was there. I was there if they needed a pair of shoes or book backpack or something for school. I was there if they needed mental health services — I tried to coordinate that with them. For all of those things, I was just doing it. And we slowly started to see success.” Lee ran Son of a Saint as a volunteer organization for the first three years, coordinating mentors, mentees and everything in between practically single-handedly. “It was a lot of work in the beginning, but I knew it was special,” he says with great modesty. When he was finally able to make it his full-time job, the organization took off exponentially: Lee hired his first full-time staff member in 2016, and now nine employees — including a mental health specialist, case worker and education coordinator — are working to better the lives of New Orleans’ fatherless boys. Son of a Saint prides itself on creating lasting, meaningful relation- ships among everyone in the program, from strong connections between mentors and mentees, to the bond developed between the boys themselves. “I participated in [a different mentoring program] while I was working with the Saints. The people from the program came to my house, and they asked me some questions that were just on paper. Then they immediately connected me with a boy who lived across town, but he had no interest in sports. I said, ‘Hey, let’s go to the Saints game! Let’s go meet the players!’ But he had no interest. And I was like, ‘Why would they just pair me with a boy on paper?’ That didn’t really work.” This experience stuck with Lee, who makes sure that his mentor- mentee relationships aren’t built on an arbitrary, on-paper checklist, but instead on spending time together in real life. “For us, we have a mentor ‘in training’ for three months. Mentors come in and come to our group activities. We don’t just pair them with a boy. We let those relationships happen organically, as opposed to just kind of, ‘Here’s a boy! Bye!’ The whole program has really been therapy for me.”

Son of a Saint’s long-term, holistic approach to mentorship is not only unique among mentorship programs in New Orleans, but across the nation. Each Son of a Saint mentee participates in at least one recreational activity a week, and is required to complete at least eight hours of community service per month. What’s more, there are more than 20 group mentoring classes offered monthly, along with tutoring, behavioral health counseling and tuition assistance for those in need of such services. And out of all the activities — from sports, to horseback riding, to fishing, yoga, music, chess and the arts — offered to the boys, Lee says that traveling and community service are what make for the most talked-about experiences. “If you were to ask 100 boys — we have 100 boys — if you were to ask all of them what’s the most memorable thing, it’s travel. Whether it’s going to the beach, or New York City, or going to camp. It’s usually a travel experience.” Lee, of course, also continues to lead by example. He recently went fishing with a board member who he considers a mentor for the first time. “It goes to show you, like I’m almost 38 now, and I have my mentors. I have people that I look up to,” he laughs. “It was a thrill. I’ve been trying to catch that fish for 35 years.” “With these boys, I think the biggest part of this is, because I’ve gone through it as an adolescent, it’s almost like a proven method. With Son of a Saint, it was like, ‘I know these things are going to work, because I’m a product of it, and I know what worked for me. I know what these boys are looking for and what they need.’ To this day, that’s actually been true.” LOCALS SUPPORTING LOCALS Join us in supporting Son of A Saint. Visit sonofasaint.org to donate online and purchase tickets to their November 1st Gala at the Ritz Carlton New Orleans.

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