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Berry offers own account of mentorship

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- Actress Halle Berry said her experiences being mentored as a child led her to become involved with a mentorship program for Los Angeles teens.

Berry, 43, said Friday during a breakfast event for The Hollywood Reporter's Women in Entertainment that her fifth-grade teacher helped her overcome a childhood that included watching her mother be abused by her alcoholic father, the Reporter said.

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"I developed a work ethic, and I started to get a sense of value," Berry said.

"I'm here as a witness giving testimony: Mentoring is one of the most important things you can do for a child. We have to be able to believe that we have value, and we need somebody to believe in us and remind us of that so we don't lose our way."

The mentorship program, affiliated with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles, is intended to offer 12 female high school sophomores from the inner city a chance to learn from female entertainment executives.

The Reporter said also on hand to support the program at the Beverly Hills Hotel on Friday were actresses Hillary Swank and Eva Longoria Parker.

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