Musician strikes chord with mentors

'You're helping out a kid, but it's more than that; you're helping yourself'

By Lisa Ryckman
Denver Rocky Mountain News Staff Writer

George grew up on the street. When his mom died two years ago, he was 9 years old and alone.

Now music fills George's world. It was always in his heart, but Travis and Vanessa DeArman put it in his hands.

The DeArmans have spent a year as mentors to George through the Big Brothers-Big Sisters organization. For at least three hours every week, the DeArmans make a difference in George's life — and he makes a difference in theirs.

"It's one of those things that people say they don't have time for, that it's a lot of work. But it's not," Travis DeArman said. "It's fun, it's relaxing, it just makes you feel good. You're helping out a kid, but it's more than that. You're helping yourself."

DeArman, a musician himself, recognized George's musical gifts and helped nurture them. They go to concerts and practice together. George takes weekly lessons from Travis' piano teacher, who donates her time. And his foster mother managed to find a used piano.

George's determination matches his talent. While other beginners played a duet with the teacher at the recital, George insisted on playing solo.

"He feels music. It's in him," DeArman said. "He has problems reading music. For him, it's just more efficient to find the tune, and he finds it real fast. But the stron gest part is his rhythm. It shames the metronome, it's so precise."

The DeArmans help George with his reading, teach him to use woodworking tools, carve pumpkins with him at Halloween and take him to Elitch Gardens in the summer. They decided to become mentors because they wanted to provide an example of a healthy relationship for a child like George, who never knew his father.

"He has problems in his life," Travis DeArman said. "But when he hangs out with us, he likes to forget about all those problems. For just a few hours, it's not about some social worker trying to help George or some counselor trying to understand George. He can just go out and be a regular kid."

He's also a lucky kid; getting in to the Big Brothers program isn't easy. There are about 450 children waiting to be matched with a mentor, spokesman Cliff Wilson said. The girls usually find a match within a few months, but boys might wait as long as two years because so few men volunteer.

"I get the pleasure of knowing I wasn't thinking about my own needs for a while. It's nice to take a break from yourself," Travis DeArman said. "And I feel like I've gotten something important done. If the life of even one child is improved, then you've changed the world."

December 23, 2000