Since spring of last year, Walt Johnson and Den Trumbull have mentored two brothers in the local Opelika area, and through the experience the students gained brothers outside of their fraternity.
Johnson, senior in industrial engineering, and Trumbull, senior in biomedical sciences, have been mentored Kevin and Quientavious, or Quien, since their sophomore years through Project Uplift. The brothers are 13 and 11 years old respectively.
Project Uplift is a nonprofit organization from Auburn that has teamed up with Auburn University to go out into the Auburn-Opelika community to find kids from underprivileged backgrounds. They typically have two Auburn students matched up with two or three kids.
“They are two of the spunkiest and liveliest kids that you’ll ever meet," Johnson said. "Kevin is solid as a rock emotionally and then you got Quien, who can be
Johnson and Trumbull heard about Project Uplift during their freshmen year and were interested. They spent the following summer at summer camps in their hometowns. Johnson had also been in a similar mentoring role in high school.
After enjoying the experience of service and their mentoring roles, Johnson and Trumbull decided to pursue the position with Project Uplift.
The mentors in Project Uplift are asked to spend a minimum of three hours per week with their kids doing various activities that the kids and mentors have the freedom to choose.
Project Uplift asks that the mentors spend at least two semesters alongside their kids. Johnson and Trumbull, however, have enjoyed the experience so much that they are entering their fourth semester with the boys.
"We love them to death, and they’re honestly some of the best kids we could ask for,” Johnson said.
Trumbull said the time spent together is more important than whatever activity it is that they are doing.
“We really just invest in them because these kids don’t get enough attention at home," Trumbull said. "Their family is not as intact as most, and we just really spend time with them and get to know them and show them what it is to be a man and how to act in society."
Project Uplift hosts monthly activities including rollerblading and skating for its mentors and mentees to participate in. Johnson and Trumbull said they think Project Uplift does a great job with these events, and they enjoy taking their little brothers to them.
Johnson and Trumbull also love picking out different things to do with Kevin and Quien.
The young boys love doing a lot of things that kids their age typically enjoy doing. Johnson said they especially love to hang out at Johnson and Trumbull’s fraternity house, FarmHouse, and play basketball or video games.
Johnson said this is beneficial because it gives Kevin and Quien a chance to hang out and interact with more people.
Their little brothers also enjoy baking cookies. Johnson said they really enjoy going to the store and picking cookies – something that came as a surprise to Johnson and Trumbull.
The boys have enjoyed watching movies, playing golf, listening to music, dancing together and having a good time. Johnson and Trumbull had the opportunity to take their little brothers to an Auburn football game.
Along with having fun, Johnson and Trumbull stress the importance of school. The pair makes sure to help the boys with their homework, sometimes calling out words to help with spelling during car rides.
Since Johnson and Trumbull have been with the boys for so long, they've been able to see Kevin and Quien develop and mature over a long period of time.
“I remember two years ago when they would be doing this, this and that, and I couldn’t wait until they stop acting like this and start acting more mature," Johnson said. "It’s really cool to see how you’ve influenced how they think and how they act, so that’s been
Johnson said kids involved with Project Uplift have less of a chance of being incarcerated later in life.
“I feel like a lot of times there’s a stigma that not many guys do this," Johnson said. "I would just encourage people, especially males, to get involved with an organization like this because they desperately need male figures in their life."
Johnson and Trumbull said they have no doubt that what they do has a significant impact on Kevin and Quien. They believe Kevin and Quien have impacted their lives in a special way as well.
“Relationships aren’t built on the certain experiences you have, but rather the time spent talking on the way to the park or while baking cookies," Trumbull said. "Giving someone attention that they wouldn’t normally receive is invaluable. This lesson has benefited us in our relationship with Kevin and Quien and has leaked into all our relationships."
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