Our Story

Men of integrity raising the next generation of leaders.

Men With Hearts began with a simple, urgent conviction: boys become strong men when strong men invest in them — and far too many boys today are growing up without that investment.

Why We Started

About 18 million children in this country — roughly one in four — are growing up without a father in the home. By contrast, only about one in twenty-five grows up without a mother. That gap is not a statement about mothers. It is a measure of how many boys are missing consistent, positive male role models in the years that shape them most.

The absence is not without cost. Father absence is strongly associated with higher rates of dropping out of school, substance abuse, and involvement in the justice system — patterns that, left unbroken, pass from one generation to the next. But the same research is just as clear about the other direction: boys with caring adult male mentors do measurably better in school, in their relationships, and in the lives they go on to build. The greatest shortage in youth mentorship today is not need. It is the supply of men willing and trained to step in.

Men With Hearts exists to close that gap.

What We Believe

Character is not taught in a lecture. It is caught — through time, example, and relationship. So we put men of integrity alongside boys and let the work happen the way it always has: on a trail, around a fire, on a project, in honest conversation.

Men With Hearts was founded by men whose lives have been shaped by Christian faith and a shared belief that boys today need strong, principled male role models to become the men this country needs. Our programs are open to families of every background and are never conditioned on agreement with our founders’ beliefs. The character we work to instill — integrity, compassion, servant leadership, responsibility, and love for others — reflects the values that brought us together.

We don’t lead with a label that closes doors before we meet the boy. We get them in. We teach them friendship, integrity, and what a real man looks like. The boys we serve come as they are. The men who lead them rise to a standard.

Who Leads

Men With Hearts is guided by a founding board of five whose backgrounds span pastoral ministry, children’s ministry, business ownership and contracting, technology and project leadership, and a founder with both ministerial training and a career across major companies. Together they bring decades of experience in leading people, serving families, and building things that last.

Every man who serves with us is vetted. Before being placed with any youth, mentors are 18 or older, complete a background check, and complete child-safety training. Protecting the boys in our care is not a policy we tolerate — it is the foundation everything else is built on.

How We Serve

Through gatherings and outdoor adventures — hikes, fishing, camping, leadership challenges, service projects, and more — we combine purposeful experiences with intentional mentorship. But the activities are not the ministry. The relationships are. The hike is just where the conversation happens.

We serve any boy who needs a man of integrity in his life, regardless of background, faith, or family circumstance. We charge little or nothing for our events, and no boy is turned away for lack of money.