Help Plant the Seeds of Success

From the time they join our program through the 5th grade, youth benefit from academic support from their mentors to grow their reading and math skills. Mentors, like Andre, walk alongside youth and provide them with long-term, consistent support with setting and achieving goals, as they work together to overcome life’s challenges.

Andre has been with Friends-Seattle for more than six years. When he started, his youth were all in early elementary school. He knew the time would come for them to move on to a new mentor who specializes in supporting teens, as he has a passion for mentoring K-5 youth, and that the transition would bring lots of mixed emotions. All of his youth had encountered the foster care system at some point, so he wanted to take extra care to best support the youth and make space to process the transition.

During their final outings together, Andre asked the youth how they wanted to mark the occasion. “We did a ton of reflection on our favorite outings and how far we’d come,” shared Andre. He also made photo books for each youth and wrote letters reflecting on the lessons he learned from their journey together and their individual growth over the years. He reminded them that progress is gradual and that they weren’t always going to see results immediately--and that consistency over time will make a difference.

Please make a gift as part of GiveBIG today. You can double your impact as part of a dollar-for-dollar match, up to $15,000!

When you support Friends-Seattle, you’re joining mentors like Andre in providing academic support, cultivating consistency, and creating a nurturing environment for youth.