By Joanna Miller, Staff Writer

It's good to have someone to look up to.

That’s the message David Moreno of Savage shares with residents and legislators during presentations about his experience with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.

As Moreno approaches becoming an adult, he has plans to bring the program full circle and mentor a “little brother” of his own.

“Once I turn 18, I’m going to apply for the Big Brothers Big Sisters role,” Moreno said.

Most recently, the Prior Lake High School junior spoke at the state Capitol on March 12 for the Big Brothers Big Sisters Day on the Hill.Moreno, left, and his Big Brother
mentor Jim Diesing, met First Lady
Laura Bush in Washington D.C. in
February. (Submitted photo)

“They’re asking us to speak about our personal mentor experience,” Moreno said.

He also brought his message to the Helping America’s Youth conference last August and the Creating Connecting Communities conference in January. He met again with Helping America’s Youth this February, when he was invited for the organizations third anniversary celebration in Washington, D.C., where he and his mentor, Jim Diesing of Bloomington met First Lady Laura Bush and federal legislators.

Moreno’s meeting with the First Lady was brief but appreciated.

“We got to take pictures with her, but you don’t really have too much time for anything,” he said.

Diesing said the local presentations help to keep Big Brothers Big Sisters at the forefront, even if it is not a funding year.

Moreno’s mother, Josefina Zech, said she sought out a mentor for her son because she wanted him to have a positive male role model in his life as he grew up.

Big Brothers Big Sisters matched Moreno with Diesing, who was looking for the opportunity to make a difference in a child’s life.

Now, Moreno said he speaks to groups about “how mentoring has changed my life, by just having someone to talk to. Really, it’s just giving you so many opportunities.”

“It’s so fundamental in my life,” he said. “I’m 100-percent sure without the mentoring experience I would not be where I am.”

Moreno and Diesing were recognized during the President’s State of the Union address in 2004. Big Brothers Big Sisters celebrated 100 years of programming that year.

Zech said she gathers all of the information in a book for her son as he goes through the program.

“I have a scrapbook I’m making for him – it’s this big,” she said, her arms outstretched. “If God has a purpose for somebody, he will fulfill that purpose completely.”

Diesing began acting as Moreno’s Big Brother when Moreno turned 7.

“I was just wanting to give to a kid what I didn’t have growing up,” Diesing said. “I came from a broken home.”

Zech, who came to Minnesota from Ecuador, said she “needed a role model for my son” after a divorce.

Now remarried, Zech said Diesing has continued a steady role in Moreno’s life for the past 10 years.

The program matches children ages 6 and older with mentors. At that time, they encouraged Zech to wait to register until Moreno was 7 because they did not have enough mentors.

“It can take years to find a match,” she said. “There’s just a little amount of people who want to help these kids grow up well.”

Zech said she felt safe working with the organization, which does ample background checks on volunteers.

“In some programs, you switch mentors a lot,” but Big Brothers Big Sisters encourages consistency with mentors, Moreno added.

Diesing said the program helped him to begin as a mentor, by giving him a list of suggestions.

“They give you a little sheet of activities; we just kind of played it by ear,” Diesing said. “We went to the Minnesota Zoo, or I’d take him out for a hamburger.”

Meeting with Diesing for a ball game or other outing, and having someone to talk to, helped Moreno grow as a person.

“When I first met Jim, I didn’t have a dad, and my mom could only go so far,” Moreno said.

He liked to meet with Diesing to do “guy stuff,” like play sports, attend games or go pheasant and duck hunting

“I would have never gone to a Twins game,” Moreno said. “They’re things that are so small, but it’s a big deal to a kid – just taking time to go out to eat. He’s been there every step of the way.”

Speaking at the state Capitol to energize people about mentoring is something to which Moreno looks forward.

“As a 17-year-old kid, you don’t have much of a voice. These youth groups are the people who point you in the right direction,” he said.

Last week’s youth rally was another opportunity “to get us more involved in our communities,” he said. Even at the rally, Moreno’s mentor supported him and served as a co-speaker.

“I’m usually surrounded by people who help me,” Moreno said. “Usually, I have my mentor with me, so that helps – it’s a familiar face in the crowd.”

More than 100 children gathered in the Capitol rotunda as part of the rally. Elected officials, government employees, citizens and participants of the Big Brothers Big Sisters program attended.

The group has the annual rally to show its appreciation for the state Legislature’s support and for mentoring Minnesota children.

The rally included a call to action for residents to step up and mentor some of the 800 Twin Cities children waiting for a mentor match.

Big Brothers Big Sisters continually seeks committed volunteers willing to mentor and support youth in the community. The organization has the goal of making matches to improve children’s “confidence, competence and caring.”

Diesing said he’s seen Moreno change since they began spending time together in 1998.

“He was very shy and withdrawn. He was struggling in school. He didn’t have many friends,” Diesing said. “He started excelling in school.”

Diesing said by the time Moreno reached high school, he was doing well academically and making friends.

“You would never know he was a shy 7-year-old boy,” Diesing said.

At speaking engagements, Diesing said Moreno steals the show.

“He outshines me now in public speaking,” he said. “That kind of shows how far he’s come.”

Moreno has participated in some lobbying, as he learns more about the process, to increase after-school programming, for example.

“We do a lot of chain letters, too,” he said.

Zech said she’s pleased Moreno is considering becoming a mentor in the future.

“He wants to grow up to give what has been given to him,” Zech said.

Zech encourages other community members to think about volunteering, too.

Her family in Ecuador welcomed Diesing as a guest in 2002, to thank him for his role in Moreno’s life.

“I went to Ecuador in 2002 with him and his mother to visit his family there,” Diesing said.

“If you’re a grandfather and you miss your grandchildren, adopt one,” Zech said. “I wish I could spend more time recruiting people because I see what a difference it makes for a kid who didn’t have uncles or cousins [in the United States].”

Zech said she was happy to have a positive male influence for her son.

“You don’t see me hunting,” she said, laughing.

As Moreno approaches graduation, Diesing is helping him find his future path.

Moreno hopes to take what he’s learned through presentations and apply to regional universities to study political or social sciences.

Diesing said when Moreno graduates from the program, he anticipates staying in touch. He may also stay with Big Brothers Big Sisters and adopt another youth.

“They ask for a minimum of a year commitment,” Diesing said. Visits are twice a month, at minimum, for a few hours.

“Being a Big Brother has helped me to be a better human being,” Diesing said. “It’s made me a better person. It’s made me a better family man. It’s made me a better businessman. It brings a lot of fulfillment.”

Diesing said, like all volunteering, it shifts the focus from himself to a child in need.

“I’d recommend it for anyone who wants a mentor for a son,” Diesing said.

 Joanna Miller can be reached at (952) 345-6375 or jmiller@swpub.com. 

‘Big’ facts

Visit www.bbbs.org to learn more, or call 888-412-BIGS to connect with the Big Brothers Big Sisters local branch.