Are You the Answer to Someone’s Greatest Hope?
Kim Vander Hill
What has been your greatest hope?
Maybe you hoped to one day play on a major league baseball team. Maybe you hoped to win the lottery. Maybe you hoped to travel the world, become famous, or finally get the new phone you’d been wanting. But here’s what you probably didn’t hope for: You probably didn’t hope that someone would believe you mattered enough to be loved. You probably didn’t hope that there would be at least one person who would show up - JUST FOR YOU.
That’s because many of us grow up with a basic sense of security. We assume that someone will be there when we need them, that there will be food in the fridge, that we are valued, even if we sometimes forget it. But for many children across the country, these things aren’t a given. They’re not guaranteed. And that’s where Kids Hope USA steps in - filling a gap that many don’t even realize exists.
Kids Hope USA is a national mentoring program that partners churches with local public schools. The mission is simple but powerful:
One Child. One Hour. One Church. One School.
That one hour a week can change a child’s life - and the life of the mentor as well. Through this model, trained mentors from local churches are paired with at-risk children to offer consistent, one-on-one attention and encouragement. What they provide is more than tutoring or games. They bring presence, stability, and unconditional care.
This kind of mentorship is not a random act of kindness - it’s rooted in something deeper: biblical friendship, inspired by God’s own definition of love and loyalty. In the Bible, friendship is not just about spending time with someone or sharing common interests. It’s about sacrifice, commitment, faithfulness, and love. Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” Jesus took this idea even further when He said in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” That’s what real friendship looks like in God’s eyes. It’s not about what you get - it’s about what you give.
Mentoring a child through Kids Hope is living out that kind of friendship. It is a consistent presence in a child’s life who may otherwise feel forgotten or unseen. It is offering love when it hasn’t been earned, and showing up - not because you have to, but because you’ve been chosen to. The relationship between a mentor and a child becomes more than just weekly visits - it becomes a living example of the love of Christ.
I have witnessed multiple instances when a mentor shows up at their mentee’s school for the first time after summer vacation and have been moved to tears watching the first look of surprise and then the look of pure joy as the child sees their mentor and shouts, ”YOU CAME!” - before running full speed into their mentor’s arms. That moment isn’t about toys, grades, or material gifts. It’s about one of the most powerful human experiences: being remembered. It tells the child, You are not forgotten. You matter. You are worth coming back for.
Imagine being a child who doesn’t know if there will be dinner at home or if anyone will notice they’re struggling to read. Imagine coming to school with that kind of burden - and then imagine seeing your mentor walk through the door, every week, just for you. That kind of attention tells a child, you matter, you are not alone, you are loved. That message can heal wounds no textbook or lesson plan ever could.
Kids Hope mentors aren’t superheroes. They’re ordinary people - retired grandparents, working professionals, college students - who simply say yes. They show up. They listen. They laugh. They help with homework. They color pictures. They talk about dreams. And slowly, over time, they build trust and create a bond that reflects the very heart of God’s friendship with us.
In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul describes love in a way that fits the mentoring experience beautifully: “Love is patient, love is kind… it always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” That is the kind of love mentors offer. It’s not flashy. It’s not dramatic. But it’s steady. It’s faithful. It shows up.
And in the process, mentors often find that their own hearts are transformed. What starts as an hour of service becomes a weekly highlight, something they look forward to with anticipation. They begin to see the world differently - to understand the quiet battles many children face every day. And they learn that hope isn’t always found in the big things. Sometimes hope is a box of crayons. Sometimes it’s someone who remembers your favorite snack. Sometimes hope is knowing you can count on one person to be there, no matter what.
This program also powerfully reflects the body of Christ in action. The Church isn’t confined to Sunday mornings - it’s called to go out, to reach the lost, to love the least, and to care for the vulnerable. Kids Hope USA gives churches a structured, sustainable way to live out this mission in their own neighborhoods. It’s not about proselytizing or preaching. It’s about embodying the love of Jesus - with no strings attached.
So, what has been your greatest hope? For some kids, the greatest hope is just one person who believes they are worth showing up for. One person who sees their potential. One person who remembers their birthday, their favorite color, their struggles, and victories. Through Kids Hope USA, that one person can be you.
You don’t need special training, a degree, or all the answers. You just need to be willing. Willing to listen. Willing to love. Willing to be a friend in the truest, most biblical sense of the word.
In a world that often teaches us to chase success, recognition, and comfort, Kids Hope invites us to chase something else: faithfulness. And in doing so, we just might become the answer to someone’s greatest hope.