Ron Hunter, Heroes In Our Midst Awardee, receives bronze medallion from Mack Koonce, COO of BBBS of America

Ron Hunter,
A Hero In Our Midst

Ron Hunter, a north Minneapolis native and patent lawyer with Cargill Incorporated, has been a Big Brother with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities for more than four years, although mentoring has been a part of his life since he was a kid.

Since growing up on the north side of Minneapolis, Ron knows first hand the pressures and challenges faced by young people in urban neighborhoods. Throughout his childhood, Ron was fortunate to have many male role models that helped to keep him on track, including his father, whom he greatly admires. “I had several mentors growing up, including a fantastic father,” said Ron, “and they helped to keep me on the straight and narrow.”

During his twenties, Ron was a coach and camp counselor for youth and experienced first hand how he could affect the lives of the children he coached and counseled. Later in life, he decided to give a child the same strong male presence he had growing up.

Ron’s company, Cargill Incorporated, was offering a community outreach program called the “Cargill Scholars Program” to 50 underprivileged children in the fourth grade. Designed to impact kid’s lives at a young age, the program sought to match children with a Cargill employee mentor for a four-year period. By partnering with Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities, the program enabled Cargill volunteers to become mentors in the BBBS program.

“When I heard about this program, I knew it was something that was so needed in our community. I remembered back to my days as a camp counselor and decided to embark on this journey as a mentor,” said Ron. And just this year, Ron was named Community Big Brother of the Year by the BBBS of the Greater Twin Cities agency. “I think Big Brothers Big Sisters really sets the stage for me to try to provide the same sort of experiences I had for another boy on his way to manhood,” explained Ron.

After the BBBS screening process, Ron was matched with then, nine-year-old Rashad Samuels from north Minneapolis. Although at first the two seemed to have little in common, a lasting bond soon began to develop. While Ron had an interest in sports, Rashad was interested in fine arts. However, Ron decided that despite their differences, he would do all that he could to help guide Rashad and give him opportunities that he wouldn’t ordinarily have.

Today, the two are very close friends. “Ron and I are tight…he’s really helped me to try new things,” said Rashad. Some of their activities have included various Cargill Scholars events, bowling, eating out, visits to the local science museum, golf, pro and amateur basketball games, going out to the movies, shopping, fitness workouts and visits to the library. “I’ve found that the life of a youngster today, as well as the way a youngster sees the world today, is different from what I anticipated. As often happens, I may have done more learning than teaching,” said Ron.

Rashad lives with his mother and attends the same junior high school that Ron attended years ago in north Minneapolis. He is a skilled artist, and Ron makes it a point to encourage Rashad to continue to cultivate his talents and has even taken him to a local park to sketch the landscape, as one of their activities. “During the four years we’ve been hanging-out together, my fledgling paleontologist has shifted his vocation target to acting and is honing his exceptional cartoon drawing skills, not to mention, he’s grown to be as big as me,” said Ron.

Rashad is only fourteen but has a desire to figure out what he wants to do with his life. “Ron’s really helped me see the world a little differently, and he’s also helped me to realize that I can be anything I want to be, if I put my mind to it and work hard in school,” said Rashad.

Ron has been a positive male role model to Rashad, which has been helpful, as he’s been transitioning into his teenage years. Overall, Ron has tried to mix in the fun talks with the serious life talks. “Rashad doesn’t have a father-figure in his life, and Ron’s been that positive male role model for him,” said Rashad’s mother, Ashanti Samuels. “There are certain things that Rashad’s going through that I don’t understand, and Ron can give him advice and insight where I can’t.”

Ron feels that the most important thing he can teach Rashad is the importance and benefit of a good education. “I really try to be a symbol of the connection between education, learning and success later in life,” said Ron. And since their mentorship began, Rashad’s grades have drastically improved. Just this year, Rashad was named the Student of the Month in his school and is excited about finishing up junior high school and heading to high school. “I’m really excited about high school, and since I’m interested in acting right now, I might look into their drama program,” said Rashad. His mother has also noticed that he is more helpful around the home, and has had an easier time transitioning into his teenage years, thanks to Ron. “As a mother, I’m so grateful that Rashad has such a person to look up to. Ron is a testament of what my little Rashad can be and do with his life,” said Ashanti.