DAILY NEWS PEOPLE : MICHAEL BOWLER.Byline: - Minerva A. Hernandez Mornings are almost always a long, slow crawl to work on the freeways between Michael Bowler's Chatsworth home and his classroom at Hawthorne High School Hawthorne High School can refer to one of several schools in North America. The following list is ordered by state/province/territory and then municipality:
After school, four days a week, he volunteers his time to teach weight training at the YMCA YMCA in full Young Men's Christian Association Nonsectarian, nonpolitical Christian lay movement that aims to develop high standards of Christian character among its members. . He also counsels juvenile offenders through the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. Archdiocese's Detention Ministry. And on weekends, you'll find him volunteering for Catholic Big Brothers, a nonprofit organization Nonprofit Organization An association that is given tax-free status. Donations to a non-profit organization are often tax deductible as well. Notes: Examples of non-profit organizations are charities, hospitals and schools. dedicated to matching fatherless youths with adult role models. ``I just wish I had a lot more time,'' Bowler said. AGE: 40 RESIDENCE: Chatsworth. OCCUPATION: Special-education teacher. BORN AND RAISED IN: Born in San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden and raised in San Rafael San Rafael (săn rəfĕl`), residential city (1990 pop. 48,404), seat of Marin co., W Calif., a suburb of San Francisco on the northern shore of San Francisco Bay; inc. 1913. . MARITAL STATUS marital status, n the legal standing of a person in regard to his or her marriage state. : Single. CHILDREN: None. VOLUNTEERISM: ``At the time being, I'm a Big Brother for three kids. They rank between the ages of 15 to 20 years old. We go to many special events, movies, games, or just simply hang out and talk. Some kids have been so neglected that they have no self-esteem, others have never had a male figure in their lives, and it takes some time before gaining their trust. Being persistent and caring is mostly what it takes. The rewards are great. Just seeing a positive change - as minor as it may be - makes it all worthwhile.'' HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED?: ``One day I was reading the church's bulletin and saw an ad requesting volunteers for the Big Brothers program. I thought of giving it a shot, and here I am 15 years later, enjoying every moment of it!'' WHY DO YOU VOLUNTEER?: ``When I was a kid, somehow I got the impression that adults didn't take the time to really listen to what children had to say. Maybe they did, but in a sort of brush-off brush·off also brush-off n. An abrupt dismissal or snub. Noun 1. brush-off - a curt or disdainful rejection rejection - the act of rejecting something; "his proposals were met with rejection" way. At least that's how I always perceived it; that always stayed in the back of my head. So I decided that when I became an adult, I'd do something about it. So here I am, hoping to make a difference in a kid's life in a very positive way. It's definitely something money can't buy.'' BIGGEST DILEMMA: ``The lack of volunteers for this program. I wish there were a lot more people that would take an interest in it. Kids nowadays need so much more individual attention. We have approximately 200 kids waiting for a mentor. Kids don't always expect that much, they just need someone to talk to or someone to listen to, if not to their dilemmas, maybe to their aspirations aspirations npl → aspiraciones fpl (= ambition); ambición f aspirations npl (= hopes, ambition) → aspirations fpl . Mostly, just be there for moral support.'' BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: ``Not seeing one of my students graduate was a bit disappointing, but I soon realized that I could only act as a motivational instrument but never a forceful force·ful adj. Characterized by or full of force; effective: was persuaded by the forceful speaker to register to vote; enacted forceful measures to reduce drug abuse. one. In the long run, it's all up to the individual.'' GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT: ``I just received a letter from a kid who I thought to be beyond reach. There were no emotions in him, no regrets, no interest in anything or anyone for that matter. In his letter, he mentions that he's been studying at the juvenile detention that he is at, and he also expresses gratitude in his own kind of way for the time I took with him when I was his mentor. It lets me know that indeed time was not wasted and positive results are achieved if you hang on long enough.'' GOALS FOR THE FUTURE: ``Besides finding a wife and raising a family, I'd like to see one of my plays go into production - you see, I'm also a screenwriter.'' WHO RELIES ON YOU THE MOST AND WHO YOU RELY ON: ``I guess the kids that I mentor rely on me. They know that when I say I'd be there, they can rely on me being there. I like to think that I live up to their expectations.'' ROLE MODELS: ``Both my parents have passed away, but they taught me at a very early age to be responsible and to earn respect. My dad used to say that we need to take care of people in our lives, and I hope to always live by these standards.'' HOW DO YOU DEFINE SUCCESS?: ``To me, success is being able to treat people with decency de·cen·cy n. pl. de·cen·cies 1. The state or quality of being decent; propriety. 2. Conformity to prevailing standards of propriety or modesty. 3. decencies a. and compassion, regardless of who they are.'' FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: ``I enjoy writing screenplays.'' WHAT WOULD BE A PERFECT DAY FOR YOU?: ``A day without a traffic jam. Yes, by all means, I'd call that a perfect day!'' CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Michael Bowler Michael Bowler (born September 8, 1987 in Glossop, Derbyshire) is an English football player. He is currently a midfielder for Stockport County. External links
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