Today we’d like to introduce you to Brian Blackwell.
Hi Brian, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was a retiring public school educator, looking for something meaningful to do after retirement. I volunteered at Mentors Care and fell in love with their mission to help struggling high school students to find hope and a future through mentorship.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It was tough being the new guy at the workplace for the first time in 30 years. There was a lot to learn regarding procedures and processes. I had to do my best to earn the respect of the staff.
As you know, we’re big fans of Mentors Care. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Since 2009, Mentors Care has been helping struggling high school students to find hope and a future through one-on-one mentoring. We provide caring adult mentors from each community we serve to students who need and want one. We also have a full-time coordinator on each campus to be an extra layer of support for kids, assisting with both physical and emotional needs.
Since 2009, Mentors Care has grown exponentially. We serve 23 high schools across seven Texas counties. We now serve more than 100o students each school year (and growing) with more than 900 adult mentors (and growing). What sets us apart from other high school programs is that each student has two adults pouring into them: their mentor and our full-time on-campus coordinator. We are proud of the fact that there is no other program like this around.
Our results prove that the program is impacting teens in powerful ways. In 2025, 100% of 90our seniors graduated across 22 high schools. 90% of our kids met the 90% rule for school attendance. 92% were promoted to the next grade level. 63% decreased their discipline instances.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
My favorite book is the Bible. My second favorite book is “Unbroken” by Laura Hillibrand. I also love the Allen Jackson podcast.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mentors.care
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stories/mentors.care/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=mentors%20care
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MentorsCare
