Demetri grew up without a father figure. His mom did her very best to take care of him and his younger brother, but being a single Mom, running a home and working a full time job was just too much for one parent. She needed an extra hand to help with the struggles of raising two young boys by herself. She enrolled Demetri in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, not fully realizing how much their lives were going to change for the better.

Karl is much more than just Demetri’s Big Brother. Karl is his mentor, his friend and, now, a part of his family. Demetri said that when he thinks about where his life would be without Karl’s influence, he see too many wrong turns, mistakes, failing grades and low self-worth. With Karl’s guidance, Demetri learned to be a responsible young man, the importance of a strong work ethic and celebrated one of his biggest successes, graduating from high school.