Why I Donate: Mentor Jennifer

Jennifer & Angela’s Story

When Angela and I first met, she was just 9 years old, and I was 23. While we were both hesitant and nervous at first, we kept showing up and seeing each other week after week. Over time we slowly got to know each other, and our relationship grew into a friendship.

Together, we spent time doing all kinds of activities. We did exciting things like visiting the Monterey Bay Aquarium and going on the FFY Tahoe trip. Other times, we kept things simple, by doing puzzles, taking her dog to the park, or sharing meals. Looking back, I realize those simple moments were where we built trust and got to know each other best. Through our time together, I also became close with her family, and felt like I had become a real part of Angela’s life.

When our mentorship came to an end, we lost touch, but I never forgot Angela. I still remember her asking Friends for Youth staff during our exit interview, “Am I still going to see her?” That question stayed with me.

About a year ago, Angela started crossing my mind again. I found myself thinking about our friendship and how meaningful that experience had been. It made me reflect on that chapter of my life and who I was at 23, fresh out of college. I began to think about what had drawn me to mentoring in the first place and realized that part of it was that I could have used a mentor myself.

Now, as a new mom, I’ve grown to understand even more how important it is to have trusted adults in your life. I remembered being that someone for Angela.

I knew I didn’t have the capacity to make the commitment to mentoring again, but I started asking myself, What can I do?

The answer was to give back.

I decided to become a recurring donor because I believe in Friends for Youth’s mission. I know what the work looks like because I experienced it up close. Being a mentor only made me believe in what Friends for Youth is trying to accomplish even more.

I’ve always believed that kids need stable, trusting adults in their lives, but now I understand it on a deeper level. Even when young people have support from their parents, having additional trusted adults is so valuable. It gives them the opportunity to learn from others, gain different experiences,  understand the world around them in a different light, and discover who they are and who they can be. 

And then, after more than a decade, I got the opportunity I had been thinking about: I reconnected with Angela.

I was surprised to learn that she and her family remembered me. She had even been telling her aunt that she was going to reconnect with me. We talked for quite some time, and hearing about her life brought back so many memories of our time together.

But what stayed with me most was hearing what our friendship had meant to her. She told me that after our mentorship ended, she participated in other programs, but when we talked about those experiences, she said:

“It wasn’t how it was with you. I never felt that again in any other program.”

Hearing that brought everything full circle. I was reminded that the relationships we build through Friends for Youth can stay with young people beyond a mentorship.

That’s what Friends for Youth means to me: impact, inspiration, and growth. I don’t know how you come away from an experience like this—as a mentor or a mentee—without having grown or been changed in some way.

If you’re thinking about becoming a recurring donor, I would say that supporting Friends for Youth is a way to put some good back into your community and create hope. We live in a time when it can feel like everyone is looking out for themselves, and where it’s more difficult than ever to get by. If we think about that reality for young people, they need somebody they can trust and rely on more than ever—someone who can be an outlet from their difficult realities, help them gain new experiences, find positivity, and see what’s possible for their futures.

“Now more than ever, the world could use the reminder that what’s important is looking out for each other.”