A Spectacular Day to Remember

Ariana*’s mom has been struggling the last several months. She has been angry and often has days that she isn’t able to get out of bed. Ariana's Friend, Lynette, has spent hours on the phone supporting her and listening to her challenges. Ariana and her younger sister stopped attending their remote learning facility and Mom stopped answering Lynette’s phone calls. So, Lynette went over to their home and pounded on the door until Mom answered. Mom admitted to Lynette that she was struggling and was having unsafe thoughts and had plans of action. Lynette reached out to our Chief Program Officer, Chris, who found a mental health facility for Mom to go to. Lynette spent over 10 hours at the apartment that day cleaning up the house and creating order for the girls and their Aunt who came to stay with them while Mom goes away to take care of herself. Lynette was there to support Mom and she continues to be a consistent, positive presence in Ariana’s life.

In addition to this support, Lynette took Ariana and Jayden*, another one of her girls, to downtown Chicago for their very first time! They marveled at the skyscrapers, rode scooters in Maggie Daley Park, visited The Bean and saw all that Chicago had to offer. In addition to giving them a spectacular day to remember, Lynette made room for Ariana to relax and be the kid that she is.

*Youth's name changed to protect their identity