Invest in Youth
Your support helps make mentoring, events, skill trainings, and long-term support possible.
Where mentoring
and community build brighter futures
OhanaHC pairs youth with at least two mentors beginning in ninth grade, bringing different perspectives, experiences, and ideas into their lives.
That support grows with them for up to 10 years, empowering young people with the skills, opportunities, and relationships they need to overcome barriers, discover what’s possible, and build a future of their own design.
Every young person deserves people who believe in what’s possible for them.
There is more than one way
to be part of their future
Find your place in our community.
Partner with Us
Businesses, schools, and community organizations that want to participate or make an in-kind contribution help our youth experience places and possibilities they may not otherwise encounter.
Recruiting now
Become a Mentor
One caring adult can change a young person’s life. Be someone they can count on, believe in, and know will keep showing up.
Refer a Student
Know a Howard County student who could benefit from caring adults, new experiences, and a broader community of support?
Volunteer
Bring your skills, connections, or time to help us plan events, raise funds, build community partnerships, or strengthen our programs.
It all starts with an Ohana,
or family
Every student sits at the center of widening circles of support, from their mentors, who form an Ohana, to their village at school.
And that support continues after high school graduation, with Pathfinders, our fastest-growing village, providing another six years of support.
What started with one school has grown to five high schools, a Pathfinder village, and a community of 192+ mentors and volunteers.
Through every stage of growth, our dual mission has guided us.
Our Mission
OhanaHC empowers youth in Howard County to define and achieve success.
We build community by creating relationships beyond our usual social circles.
Mentoring
See what it means to be an OhanaHC mentor, and the impact it can have on a young person.
A Decade of Showing Up,
Adds Up
Consistent mentoring shapes what a student believes is possible. The results show up in graduation, in college and career plans, and in alumni who return to give back.
- 80%
- of students feel a stronger sense of belonging
- 85%
- of parents and guardians reported positive changes in their child’s behavior, confidence, or school engagement
- 94%
- of students say they have at least one trusted adult they can turn to for support, guidance, and encouragement
8,000+ volunteer hours
“My grades are better, I’m involved in more things at school, and I’m thinking about my future in a way I never had before.”
Built in Howard County,
with your support
Employers, credit unions and community funds keep the clubs open, the training running and the doors of the county open to our students.
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- Bauder Fund
We Are OhanaHC
Mentor stories
“OhanaHC represents the necessary foundational pieces of what makes a good community and provides the opportunity to build strong, lasting families. I am honored for the opportunity OhanaHC provides to serve our community, share light wherever there is a need, and invest in our youth, sharing its unified vision.”
Thomas King · Mentor
Student spotlights
“Having people who kept showing up for me helped me believe in myself.”
Aradia R. · Hammond High School, Class of 2026
Student spotlights
“My mentors helped me find my path. Now I want to help someone else find theirs.”
Jada F. · Guilford Park High School, Class of 2026
Real stories, real connection.
Hear our young people share what OhanaHC means to them.
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Pass the Story OnShare the moments that matter. Hit record on your phone, and we’ll take care of the rest.
Share your story opens in a new tab
Newsletter
Stay connected to the people, stories, and moments that make OhanaHC feel like family.
Someone in our community can use
a neighbor like you
Your time, support, or partnership can make a real difference here. Come be a part of OhanaHC.
