MACON, Ga. — Back in 2019, we shared with you how mentors make a difference, and Wanya Reese introduced you to his mentee Carter.
At the time, Wanya's match was very young when they first matched, but he is now much older and getting ready for high school.
"My mom said that he would be perfect for me," Carter said back in 2019.
Early on, Carter and Wanya were able to relate on many levels, including growing up in a single-parent household.
"My parents aren't together anymore, dads are supposed to like play and stuff and teach you about growing up and stuff, and he fills that gap in together," Carter said.
Through the years, Carter and Wanya's relationship continued to grow, and he has grown as well. We've shared many memories from our regular lunches where we talk about life, and Carter was even with Wanya when he got married in January.
Today this impressive young man is almost as tall as Wanya, running track, preparing for his freshman year in high school, and continuing to open up more. Wanya and Carter's relationship is just one small example of how mentors make a difference.
"We have well over 300 kids that are in the process right now, and the mass majority of those students are male," Betsy Fitzgerald with Big Brothers, Big Sisters of the Heart of Georgia, said.
"And our goal this year was to try and get 70 mentors in the memory of the 70 people killed in our community, but we are nowhere near 70," June O'neal with The Mentors Project of Bibb County said.
Right now, the need for mentors throughout central Georgia is at a critical level. The Mentors Project and local Big Brothers Big Sisters Chapter really needs male mentors, in particular, to step up.
"We have children that have to get siblings ready for school and come home and babysit in the afternoon - that leaves them no time for themselves," O'Neal said.
That's why both ladies are calling on the community to step up to help the youth in central Georgia.
"Every community has violence, every community has challenges, we keep talking about, oh we are going to do something, I'm going to step, my fraternity is going to step up, my group is going to step up, stop talking about it and let's do it," Fitzgerald said.
