By Joanna Miller, Correspondent 

It’s good to have someone to look up to.

That’s the message David Moreno of Savage has shared with residents and legislators during presentations about his experience with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.

As Moreno approaches becoming an adult, he has plans to bring the program full circle and mentor a “little brother” of his own.

“Once I turn 18, I’m going to apply for the Big Brothers Big Sisters role,” Moreno said.

Most recently, the Prior Lake High School junior spoke at the state Capitol on March 12 for the Big Brothers Big Sisters Day on the Hill. PLHS junior David Moreno, left, and
his Big Brother mentor Jim Diesing,
met Laura Bush in February.

“They’re asking us to speak about our personal mentor experience,” Moreno said.

He also brought his message to the Helping America’s Youth conference last August and the Creating Connecting Communities conference in January. He met again with Helping America’s Youth this February, when he was invited for the organizations third anniversary celebration in Washington, D.C., where he and his mentor, Jim Diesing of Bloomington, met First Lady Laura Bush.

Moreno’s meeting with the First Lady was brief but appreciated.

“We got to take pictures with her, but you don’t really have too much time for anything,” he said.

Diesing said the local presentations help to keep Big Brothers Big Sisters at the forefront, even if it is not a funding year.

Moreno’s mother, Josefina Zech, said she sought out a mentor for her son because she wanted him to have a positive male role model in his life as he grew up.

Big Brothers Big Sisters matched Moreno with Diesing, who was looking for the opportunity to make a difference in a child’s life.

Now, Moreno said he speaks to groups about “how mentoring has changed my life, by just having someone to talk to. Really, it’s just giving you so many opportunities.”

“It’s so fundamental in my life,” he said. “I’m 100 percent sure without the mentoring experience I would not be where I am.”

Moreno and Diesing were recognized during the President’s State of the Union address in 2004. Big Brothers Big Sisters celebrated 100 years of programming that year.

Zech said she gathers all of the information in a book for her son as he goes through the program.

“I have a scrapbook I’m making for him – it’s this big,” she said, her arms outstretched. “If God has a purpose for somebody, he will fulfill that purpose completely.”

Diesing began acting as Moreno’s Big Brother when Moreno turned 7. “I was just wanting to give to a kid what I didn’t have growing up,” he said. “I came from a broken home.”

Zech, who came to Minnesota from Ecuador, said she “needed a role model for my son” after a divorce. Now remarried, Zech said Diesing has continued a steady role in Moreno’s life for the past 10 years.

The program matches children ages 6 and older with mentors. At that time, they encouraged Zech to wait to register until Moreno was 7 because they did not have enough mentors.

“It can take years to find a match,” she said. “There’s just a little amount of people who want to help these kids grow up well.”

Diesing said the program helped him to begin as a mentor by giving him a list of suggestions. “They give you a little sheet of activities; we just kind of played it by ear,” he said. “We went to the Minnesota Zoo, or I’d take him out for a hamburger.”

Moreno said that meeting with Diesing for a ball game or other outing and having someone to talk to helped him grow as a person. “When I first met Jim, I didn’t have a dad, and my mom could only go so far,” Moreno said.

He liked to meet with Diesing to do “guy stuff,” like play sports, attend games or go pheasant and duck hunting. “I would have never gone to a Twins game,” Moreno said. “They’re things that are so small, but it’s a big deal to a kid – just taking time to go out to eat. He’s been there every step of the way.”

Speaking at the state Capitol to energize people about mentoring is something Moreno enjoys. “As a 17-year-old kid, you don’t have much of a voice. These youth groups are the people who point you in the right direction,” he said.

Last week’s youth rally was another opportunity “to get us more involved in our communities,” he said. Even at the rally, Moreno’s mentor supported him and served as a co-speaker.

“I’m usually surrounded by people who help me,” Moreno said. “Usually, I have my mentor with me, so that helps – it’s a familiar face in the crowd.”

More than 100 children gathered in the Capitol rotunda as part of the rally. Elected officials, government employees, citizens and participants of the Big Brothers Big Sisters program attended.

The group has the annual rally to show its appreciation for the state Legislature’s support and for mentoring Minnesota children. The rally included a call to action for residents to step up and mentor some of the 800 Twin Cities children waiting for a mentor match.

Diesing said he’s seen Moreno change since they began spending time together in 1998. “He was very shy and withdrawn. He was struggling in school. He didn’t have many friends,” Diesing said. “He started excelling in school.”

Diesing said by the time Moreno reached high school, he was doing well academically and making friends. “You would never know he was a shy 7-year-old boy,” he said.

At speaking engagements, Diesing said Moreno steals the show. “He outshines me now in public speaking,” he said. “That kind of shows how far he’s come.”

Some ‘Big’ facts

Big Brothers Big Sisters is the oldest and largest mentoring organization in the United States.

The group mentors children ages 6 to 18.

Big Brothers Big Sisters research reports that mentored youth are 46 percent less likely to begin illegal drugs, 27 percent less likely to use alcohol and 52 percent less likely to skip school.

Visit www.bbbs.org [2] to learn more, or call 888-412-BIGS to connect with the Big Brothers Big Sisters local branch.

 Joanna Miller can be reached at or jmiller@swpub.com.