"Give It A Shot!"

“I just hope and pray my dad is safe in prison,” was the gut-wrenching and heartfelt prayer. It came from an elementary school young man bravely baring his soul at our weekly gathering of Whiz Kids and their mentors.

I’m honored to be one of the mentors. My little buddy, fourth-grader at Denver public school on the west side of town, is turning into quite the ace when it comes to naming, by sight, all 50 of our country’s states. It’s been cool to watch him grow. But this Pep Talk ain’t about him.

Back to the story. The young man praying for an incarcerated father lives in a home with his mom and two brothers. Half siblings. Each of his brothers has a different father. Three kids. One mother. Three dads, one currently living in the home

One son praying big time for his father who is gone, but obviously not forgotten.

You wonder what will happen down the road? Will this incredibly bright and gifted young boy rise above the obvious challenges present? We know it happens. Probably not as much as we’d like, but we know it happens.

We read the great stories of heroes who overcome great odds to accomplish amazing stuff. Women. Men. White. Black. Brown. Different sizes, shapes and colors. As this young man continued to pray, with my eyes closed and tears welling, I summoned a quick prayer in my brain. I asked that this young guy find hope and confidence from his interaction with his mentor, me, and all the other men and women who gather as volunteers to nurture their souls.

Those who influence us. I was so lucky growing up in Raytown, Missouri. Wherever I went, I pretty much heard the same refrain: “McIntosh, if you work hard, make healthy choices, show respect for others and keep your nose out of trouble, you’ve got some potential.” Most of that dialogue was pointed toward my athletic career, which until a nasty head injury ended things, held lots of promise. But the venue doesn’t matter.

Whether it’s athletics, school, music, drama, science, community service or whatever is irrelevant. What matters is to encourage kids to immerse themselves in activities that, we hope, unveil their gifts and talents. In healthy and productive fashion. Having folks along the way who are encouraging - giving hope and confidence to - is rarely a bad deal. Support is super.

It’s true for each of us, regardless of age. 

A young boy’s prayer ended with, “I hope and pray my Daddy starts making better decisions.” A tender child longing for an absent father. Our impact. Good? Bad? Indifferent?

There’s amazing kids out there deserved of someone arriving as a shining light. Why not us? Home or elsewhere? Give it a shot!