Mentors Offer Role Models for Children

For years, Clyde Granger and Angel had a routine.

As Angel’s mentor and Big Brother, Granger would pick up the 11-year-old from his home, where he lived with his grandmother, and they’d watch movies or eat out for lunch. During all of their outings, Granger was happy to pick up the tab.

But on Sunday, Angel, now 18, turned the tables.

“He called me and said, ‘I’m taking you out,’ ” Granger, 54, recalled last week. “He has a job now and so he said, ‘Clyde, this time, I’m paying for dinner and the movie.’ ”

Granger smiled. “It’s a really big thing.”

For Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County, Angel is living proof of how a child’s life can be changed by a positive role model. For seven years, as Angel’s mother was in and out of prison and his father was absent, Granger was there as a friend.

Angel “is going to college. He has a job. He wants to join the military. You can see what an effect this man has had on his life,” said Lili Sanchez, a support case manager at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County.

The organization received $5,000 -- to mentor children with incarcerated parents -- from the 2004 Los Angeles Times Holiday Campaign, which raises money for nonprofit groups that assist disadvantaged children and youth in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties.

Big Brothers Big Sisters started working with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department in July to help identify children who might need mentoring.

So far, 20 have been matched with mentors. The group’s goal is to reach 100 by July.

“The whole purpose is to put a positive role model in a child’s life, because all they know is that their parent isn’t in their life or is in prison,” said Christy Breen, spokeswoman for Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Young people with one or more parents incarcerated have a higher risk of repeating the patterns in their own lives, according to the organization.

“Just having that personal cheerleader that says, ‘Yes, you can do it,’ we hope will make a difference,” said Noly Guardamondo, clinical director at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County.

Granger said that when Angel was about 15, he would often be discouraged.

“He’d say, ‘I have bad blood in me. Look at my mom, look at my dad,’ ” Granger recalled. “I’d say, ‘Well, you can’t just go by your mom and dad. Look at the other people in your family -- your uncle, your aunt -- they all work and take care of their families.’ ” His parents’ decisions, Granger told Angel, didn’t have to be his.

“I guess he listened to me, and here he is now,” said Granger, who was honored last year as Big Brother of the Year.

The owner of a construction contracting company is embarrassed by the recognition. He’s just happy to help.

“It’s just something I like to do,” he said. “It’s neat to reach out and touch somebody’s life.”

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HOW TO GIVE

The annual Holiday Campaign is part of the Los Angeles Times Family Fund, a fund of the McCormick Tribune Foundation. Donations supporting the campaign to help disadvantaged children and youth should be sent to: L.A. Times Holiday Campaign, File 90074-6986, Los Angeles, CA 90074-6986. Do not send cash.

Credit card donations can be made at latimes.com/holiday campaign. For details, call (800) LATIMES, Ext. 75771.