"Telling other people about my life affected me. I felt I had a chance of changing a few things. I was told of a program called Friends for Youth and said why not? I thought it would be nice to have someone take me away from my house for a while."
"For the last couple of years she has helped me change. I started going places I had never gone before. I met new people, and I got into sports. My bad grades turned into A’s and B’s. I NEVER thought I could have done this."
"This program has helped me in a lot of ways. It has helped me control my negative attitude toward my parents and sisters, and it also prevented me from getting into serious trouble. It made me more open to people."
"It is debatable whether John got more out of the friendship or we did, but one thing is clear, we are going to know John for a long time and be there to cheer him on as he graduates from school and achieves his goals."
"I didn’t think I would have as much fun as I’ve had or enjoy his company so much. I thought it would be more work. It has not been work. It has been more like a pleasure. He makes me so happy."
"Within months, I was introducing Jackie as my mentor. Even today (13 years later) I contend that I have learned more from Jackie than she has learned from me."
