The Story Behind MentorKids
From a mission trip to a movement—discover how one man’s calling to serve vulnerable youth led to a long-term vision for families, neighborhoods, and future leaders in Phoenix, Arizona.
When MentorKids Founder Orv Krieger took a mission trip to South America in the early 1990’s he toured some prisons. One of the prisons was for children below the age of 18, and he saw how the kids were treated and how they lived. So when he came back to America, he wanted to learn how the prison system dealt with juveniles here. He visited some prisons for kids here and he became convinced that God was telling him that he needed to do something. So Orv started MentorKids.
For the next 13 years, MentorKids grew into a network of Mentors investing in the lives of youth all over the valley. Many of the Mentors are still in touch with the kids they mentored, who are now adults with kids of their own. This longevity of relationship demonstrates the power of loving, consistent investment in the life of a young person.
Orv Krieger, MentorKids Founder
MentorKids began in 1997 as a one-to-one mentoring program.
By 2010, we recognized that truly transformative change in a child’s life required more than individual support—it meant coming alongside their families and neighborhoods as well. That realization led to the creation of our Promise Neighborhood model, allowing us to make long-term investments in the children, families, and communities we serve.
The Birth of the Promise Neighborhood
A Promise Neighborhood is roughly a square mile in a high-risk area that meets certain economic and social requirements. We set up our program at a school, church, or community center within the Promise Neighborhood and offer free afterschool and summer programming for kids from K-12th grade. We engage families through local events and Parent Advisory Councils, and we impact our community through service projects, events, and business and civic engagement.
Our programs are built around our three pillars and content is scaled according to the age of our kids. As they progress into Middle School, they are introduced to the LEAD (Leadership Exploration And Discovery) program, and when they reach high school they have the opportunity to become an iLEADer. iLEADers are part-time paid staff who mentor the younger children and serve their neighborhood through community service projects. To learn more about the iLEAD program, click here.
“MentorKids is all about building leaders who build leaders within our Promise Neighborhoods. Our vision is to open new Promise Neighborhoods across Arizona and, eventually, the country, so that more local young leaders can emerge, more families can be impacted, and more lives can experience the fullness of God's love.”
Aaron Parrott, Executive Director, MentorKids USA
