Ryan and Anthony

Meet Ryan & Anthony. They met when Anthony was just 9 years old and have now been friends for almost 10 years. Anthony’s mom is a single mother and recognized he needed extra support. She wanted to encourage her son to participate in safe, fun, and positive activities. Throughout their mentorship, Ryan was able to create amazing experiences with Anthony, while also mentoring him through his life experiences. They attended fun Friends for Youth events like ice skating at the annual holiday party, the FFY Picnic, and outings to places like Sky High Sports trampoline park. They have also shared movie nights, Barnes and Noble visits, and multiple pool trips.

Over the course of their time together, they taught each other various things. Ryan taught Anthony how to swim, encouraging him to get out of his comfort zone. “He was terrified of being in water where he couldn't stand up, and would death-grip me whenever we were in the deep end. With a lot of time and patience, he became comfortable and I could tell he took a lot of pride in learning to swim on his own,” Ryan remembers.

Anthony helped Ryan practice patience and reminded him to enjoy the joys of youth. Throughout their friendship they have both described each other as kind, good hearted, and thankful for each other's company.

Ryan hopes to help Anthony to be motivated to find a good career path and has recently worked hard to coach him in job interview skills. He continues to encourage Anthony to “live his best life”.