A Few Good Men
Photo courtesy Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawai‘i
Before John Fink ever became a prominent local TV executive and well before he began sharing his “Think About It” musings as a MidWeek columnist, he was a mentor for the nonprofit Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawaiʻi.
At the time, Fink was still in his young adult years — specifically his early 20s — and yet he was already convinced that children and teenagers required positive role models to succeed in life. As he recalls thinking, “The youth gains a friend, a mentor and possibly a tutor on life, a friendly reminder each week that someone cares about me, sees me as important enough to spend some time with.”
It was during those years that he formed a connection with an O‘ahu youngster named Josh, who served as a batboy for Fink’s adult softball team on weekends. When the squad wasn’t playing, they would hang out and do other fun things together, including catching movies on the big screen, like the just-released sequel in the Star Wars series, The Empire Strikes Back.
But after many get-togethers and numerous conversations, Fink’s relationship with the youngster ended when the boy’s mother remarried. Although parting ways was difficult, Fink believes their two years of bonding allowed both to “make a difference in each other’s lives.”
“I was a responsible friend who spent four hours weekly with him — on time and dependable,” Fink says, “and he helped prepare me for fatherhood and forced me out of my comfort zone (by) giving back at a grassroots level.”
These days, Fink serves as an emeritus board member for BBBS-Hawaiʻi, which he applauds for creating professionally supported environments where at-risk youth are able to develop a sense of self-worth, build their self-confidence and ultimately achieve success.
“Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawaiʻi is a proven preventive program. Sometimes all a kid needs is a dependable and older friend to guide them along, to help them focus, to provide a boost,” he explains. “This can have immediate benefits in school, at home, in social circles and invariably in college, in the job market and with significant others along the way.
“Sometimes a big brother can just be the gentle wind to help a child move his sailboat along the way as he grows up.”
Like the many who’ve passed through its mentoring programs, BBBS-Hawaiʻi has grown much since it began operations in 1963. In the coming days, the organization will unveil its latest growth spurt — one that directly challenges the men of these islands to be difference-makers in the lives of Hawaiʻi’s keiki.
Beginning next month and continuing through September, BBBS-Hawaiʻi is initiating its statewide project Aloha 100: A Challenge to Hawaiʻi’s Men — a campaign that seeks to recruit 100 male mentors in 100 days. Guided by Native Hawaiian principles such as ‘ohana, kōkua and kuleana, the nonprofit hopes to match a long waitlist of youth — some whom the organization claims have been in the queue for months, if not years — with caring adults willing to serve as life guides and friends.
According to BBBS-Hawaiʻi, 75% of those on its current waiting list are boys in dire need of male mentors. Many are looking for life-changing results when it comes to improvement in academics, development of interpersonal relationships and reduction in risky behaviors.
The organization contends that once paired with a mentor, these youth will have a greater than 90% percent chance of feeling like they belong and have self-worth.
“This campaign will help provide some much-need urgency and support to help shrink the waitlist of little brother aspirants,” Fink says. “What could be a better tribute and legacy than to have helped mentor a child? There are undoubtedly thousands of civic-minded potential mentors out there locally who can find the time to make this venture a win-win-win for our community, our youth and our mentors.”
Tyler Kurashige, president and CEO of BBBS-Hawaiʻi, says Aloha 100 is based on California’s Men’s Service Challenge, where thousands of men are being encouraged to mentor, coach, serve and lead their communities in the Golden State.
“There was a lot with the California initiative that resonated with us here locally,” says Kurashige of the program BBBS-Hawaiʻi hopes to duplicate. “We’ve never done this type of initiative here before, but we’re seeing the positive results they’re having in California.
“We have Big Brothers Big Sisters’ agencies across the nation, over 200 in the network, and we have many of the same challenges when it comes to mentoring: fewer men who volunteer, and more boys that are waiting for mentorship.
“But one of the things that some agencies have done with great success is run these campaigns where they’ll talk about these needs and the fact that every Big Brothers Big Sisters has had some type of waitlist for male youths.”
He adds that while BBBS-Hawai‘i’s stated goal remains to recruit 100 men, the more adult male leaders the campaign attracts, the better.
“We’d definitely love it if we were able to eclipse that mark and do better than 100,” Kurashige says. “That would be amazing.”
To increase excitement around the initiative, BBBS-Hawaiʻi has scheduled a number of upcoming celebrations. Key events include Aloha 100: Future Mentors Express Enrollment Day on June 6 at the Clarence T.C. Ching Opportunity Center, where registrants will receive a free copy of the book Superior by Rusty Komori; HI Fit Expo 2026 on June 27-28 at the Neal Blaisdell Exhibition Hall; and KCCN FM-100’s eighth annual Ice Cream Eating Contest on July 18 at Wet ’n’ Wild. (For a complete list of events, visit bbbshawaii.org.)
Kurashige says the key to the campaign will be convincing enough men that they share in the responsibility of building stronger youth, families and communities. That kuleana, he adds, requires commitment and begins with developing powerful bonds with mentees.
“Part of this initiative is getting people who are prominent in our community to be able to share their own mentoring stories, why they believe in mentoring and how they currently are mentoring the future generation,” Kurashige explains. “We strongly believe that a lot of men do want to volunteer, but they just don’t know how to do it. So what we do as an organization is provide a lot of support for our volunteers. We provide free activities. We provide gatherings for those we match — mentor and mentee. We also provide group outings for these matches to get together, where there’s kind of that sense of camaraderie and community that happens.
“Hopefully, all of this makes it a little less scary for men to get involved as mentors.”
Dennis Francis, president and publisher of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, is among the staunchest supporters of BBBS-Hawaiʻi’s mission and its upcoming Aloha 100 challenge. He says that youth need positive role models to help them learn “the importance of life-skills development — both personally and professionally.”
“A BBBS-Hawaiʻi mentor can provide that,” says Francis, who also serves as an emeritus board member for the nonprofit. “It’s also possible for many to build lifelong friendships.”
The daily newspaper’s commitment to BBBS-Hawaiʻi will be reflected in how it backs current and future campaigns, he adds.
“The Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s support of BBBS-Hawaiʻi encompasses awareness campaigns, sponsorship of events, content contributions and help to support fundraising efforts,” Francis says. “Through these efforts, we hope to help foster community involvement in mentoring youths.”
Another emeritus board member, Neill Char, insists BBBS-Hawaiʻi’s mentorship programs have a profound and long-lasting effect on participants’ lives. For men, it gives them a greater sense of connection and purpose. For youth, it provides necessary guidance and support.
“I am a strong believer in mentorship and have benefited from several mentors who were pivotal in my life and career,” says Char, who is vice chairman and group manager of retail banking and consumer products group at First Hawaiian Bank. “They have given me guidance, love and support to shape me into who I am today and also to strive to be even more going forward.
“I have personally witnessed the power of its programs, the quality of the staff and mentors, and the impact it can have on children and young adults in Hawaiʻi.”
Then, as if sounding the clarion call to all, Char adds:
“Men of Hawaiʻi — you can make a difference!”
To learn more about the Aloha 100 campaign and/or to sign up, visit bbbshawaii.org.
