Celebrating Maya's Confidence

Maya’s* early life has been marked by instability. By the time Melanie became her professional mentor – “Friend” – Maya had moved several times and attended many different schools.

These inconsistencies made it hard for Maya to build trust with Melanie at the beginning of their relationship. It took Melanie consistently showing up week after week, month after month, for Maya to learn that Melanie and Friends of the Children would be there for her. No Matter What.

Maya’s family moved again at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and she fell behind at school because many aspects of her life again became uncertain. However, one thing was certain, Melanie would continue to be a dependable person in her life. She fulfilled our No Matter What commitment to Maya by dropping off activities to her house and frequently meeting with her over Zoom.

During this time, Maya’s favorite book to read was The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywelt. She liked this book because it was familiar to her and easy to read. Melanie and Maya would always read it together and make it into a fun game.

When Maya returned to school in person this year, the school noticed that she had fallen behind and placed her on an individualized learning plan. This individualized attention from the school along with Melanie’s constant support has empowered Maya to build new confidence. She raises her hand, participates in the classroom, and gets excited about public speaking presentations.

Maya has shown amazing progress this year and has even found a new favorite book: New Kid by Jerry Craft. She likes this book because she relates to the main character, being the new kid at her school. She even told Melanie, “When I pick up this book I can’t stop reading!”

We are so proud of Maya and all she has accomplished and cannot wait to see her continue to grow confidently with a Friend by her side.

Achievements like this take time and persistence. That is why our Friends make the commitment to be a consistent positive adult in the lives of our kids. They show up day after day, month after month, year after year. No Matter What.