About
Our goal is to provide 3,000 additional children with compassionate mentors by 2025.
We are a small 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Hawai'i that facilitates partnerships between public schools, business, civic, and faith-based communities to provide mentors for highly vulnerable children. Since 2002, we have helped over 3,000 children.
Many of the children we work with are lacking stability in their lives. They may be experiencing homelessness, constant moving due to military placement, inadequate education, incarcerated family members, single-parent homes, drug/alcohol abuse, food insecurity, language barriers, cultural differences, discrimination, and few resources/assets. Some students we work with experience bullying or ostracization from peers. These students are referred to our program with the help of teachers and counselors, who believe the child could benefit from the personal attention from a mentor who truly cares for their well-being.
The structure of our mentoring sessions is one-to-one. During the school year, mentors commit to meeting with a student for one hour, once a week at a designated location.
We are supported by the state of Hawaii Department of Education Superintendent, and we received the Partnership in Education Award in 2007.
Letter from the Executive Director
Recently, during a visit to Waipahu High/Waipahu Elementary's mentoring session, I had the privilege of witnessing firsthand the profound impact of our mentorship initiatives. I met April, a young elementary student who had been struggling with feelings of isolation and bullying due to her Chuukese ethnicity. However, thanks to the dedicated mentorship of another April, she found solace, friendship, and a sense of belonging. April's story is just one example of the countless lives we touch through our programs.
As you are aware, Hawaii's public schools are not immune to the challenges facing our youth today. Issues such as bullying, loneliness, and mental health struggles plague our students, hindering their academic performance and overall well-being. Shockingly, statistics reveal that a significant portion of Hawaii's youth lack access to the necessary support systems, with less than 25% of affected teens receiving the help they need.
Your continued generosity has been instrumental in enabling Common Grace to provide vital support and guidance to these vulnerable children. Through our one-on-one mentoring relationships, group activities, and targeted interventions, we have witnessed remarkable transformations in the lives of over 360 students across the islands. With your generosity, we can continue to make a meaningful difference in the lives of these children.
This upcoming school year presents us with a critical opportunity to support Title I vulnerable students, particularly those grappling with behavioral issues exacerbated by the disruptions caused by the pandemic. We have been in communication with a Middle School Principal who highlighted the urgent need for additional support in addressing these challenges.
Thank you for your unwavering commitment to our cause. Your generosity truly makes a difference. If you have any questions or would like further information, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.
Best Wishes this Spring Season,
Aries Jackson | Executive Director
Our Team
Aries Jackson
Executive Director
"God is calling me to serve Common Grace to rescue children through loving them as He loves me." Matthew 22:39 ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
Sofia Matias
Program Coordinator
"I've been a part of the Common Grace Ohana since high school and I met Jesus through our program. It changed my life and I believe that it can give hope and guidance to others, just like it has for me."
Chelsie Ahue
Operations Manager
"Seeing kids feel loved & have a sense of belonging is like nothing else. In Psalms 127:3, it says 'children are a gift from the Lord.' I'm so honored to be a part of a growing organization that helps youth feel heard, known & understood."
Our Board of Directors
Jay Jarman
Founder & Board Member
"'I see Him in every vulnerable child.' Matthew 25:35-36, 40 (NIV) God wants our lives to overflow with mercy, love, and compassion — the marks of His kingdom. As followers of Jesus, we have a choice: respond to unsettling realities in fear and withdraw, or follow Him in responding to the greatest needs of our day with love and hope."
Lisa Herring
Board Member
"I am excited to be a part of the Common Grace Ohana! I believe our mission changes lives by positvely impacting the growth and development of our future leaders. "
Larry Takumi
Board Member
"I have seen how Common Grace's mentorship program works and how it can provide a meaningful impact on the lives of young children, as well as the mentors themselves. I fully support Common Grace 's emboldening the breadth of God's love through these mentoring relationships, and I want to help this program grow."
Vehia Goo
Chairman of the Board
"Every time a mentor meets with their mentee they both become that much more able to imagine a better life for themselves. Every time they meet our future gets a little brighter."
Joshua Ching
Board Member
"The service provided through Common Grace meets a crucial need to develop and encourage our young people here in Hawai'i. Every student impacted leads to a brighter future for our keiki and community. I am excited and honored to serve in this important mission."
Cal Jones
Board Member
"Common Grace is an outreach and mentoring program that exists to mentor students and walk with them through life, help them grow in their faith, provide them with the sense of family, and lead them toward self-sustaining adulthood. I am excited to be a part of that mission."
Sally Manglicmot
Treasurer
"I simply asked the Lord to use me. I look forward to giving back to children by lifting them up as I was lifted up [informally] by a mentor when in the sixth grade, and that relationship has impacted my life in multiple ways since then."
Max Fowler
Board Member
"Common Grace reaches Hawaii's students who need the most help. As a mentor for some years, it has been a blessing to see a life changed, one keiki at a time!"
Joe Passantino
Board Member
“I am motivated to serve through Common Grace / Malama Mentors because they are passionate about serving students in the community. Our goal is to change the trajectory of students' lives and to help them on their path to be contributing members of society. The earlier we can intervene the better our chances are to help create success in their lives. "
Brady Giusta
Board Member
"I believe in the mission. Lonely kids need friends."