This is a story of a true gentleman with his heart in the right place. It is an exemplary lesson of my mantra ‘I Can Do Better’. His name is Guy Bryant; he is a single man, 61 years old and a native of New York. Remarkably, Mr. Bryant is known as ‘Dad’ to more than 50 foster children, the majority of them young males.
Mr. Bryant grew up in a community-oriented family in Brooklyn New York, so it is no wonder that his adulthood turned out to be no different. “It’s a big population,” said Bryant. “There’s definitely a need for this service because what happens is when a youth gets into his teen years, a lot of times they feel lost, many having lived in at least 10 other foster homes during their short life time.”
Mr. Bryant’s life of fostering began in 2007 when one young man he was mentoring asked, “Will you be my father? Will you take me?” After some thought, Bryant decided to take the chance, but he didn’t stop there. Bryant also decided to foster the young man’s friend, as well as the friend’s brother. Before Bryant knew it, he had nine young men in his home making it necessary to rent the floor above his apartment to have additional space. This was a huge undertaking for a single man, who by making this choice, became a single father.
To date, Guy Bryant has fostered more than 50 young adults. Bryant says his success is attributed to gaining their trust, “The difficult thing about building trust is getting around the past interactions these young people have had with adults. By spending more time with these children and ultimately getting to know them better, I develop a bond with them over time. Their need for constant reinforcement is met by my saying ‘I am here. I am going to do what I say.’ My kids will tell you whenever I say, I’m going to do it, I always do because I don’t want them to look at me like one of those adults who let them down.”
Bryant has zero plans of retiring anytime soon, especially when he sees so many children still in need of a place to call their own.
“The Mr. Bryant approach is I love you regardless,” he said. “Once you come into my home and you’ve been with me and you’ve been here, you’re my kid for life.” That’s my approach. “You’ll always have a bed to come to, a clean bathroom for a shower — you’ll always be able to come home. My home is your home.”
In a world riddled with strife, I am so warmed by this story. I can not wait to hear stories about the accomplishments and life successes that come from the young men Mr. Bryant has nurtured.