POLSON — A Polson organization is making a lasting impact on the younger generation by doing one simple thing, showing up.
Aaron and Josiah Pinkston's story is one of growth, and they say it started when Friends of the Children entered their lives.
"The old saying, it takes a village to raise a child, some people might argue against it, but Friends of the Children has proved otherwise," Aaron Pinkston said.
That's the mission of Friends of the Children of Western Montana, where Native kids in the Mission Valley are paired with Native mentors called "friends," like John Berard.
"I mentor eight boys throughout the valley from Elmo to Dixon," Berard said.
Watch to learn about Friends of the Children:
While meeting four hours a week — two hours in school and two hours out — from tutoring to outdoor activities, Berard says their goal is disrupting generational cycles in Native families.
"We focus on generational change, we want to show these kids that we can have fun without getting in trouble without doing drugs or alcohol, and just being their stability," Berard said.
Single parent Aaron Pinkston says Friends of the Children also steps in where he needs help. When work conflicts with school events or appointments, his son's friend shows up.
"You know having that long term support was almost a huge weight off my shoulders. The name Friends of the Family is exactly what it says, I treat them like family which is an added help," Pinkston said.
"It's a 12 year plus program, and the parents and the families commit to it and so do we, we're there really becoming families with them so it's pretty awesome," Berard said.
For Josiah, his friend's consistency has helped him find his spark.
"I think there is a value that Friends of the Children bring to this area that has been drastically needed, it has done wonders for us," Pinkston said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
