How would you describe Mason?

Mason is a sweet, smart, and fun kid. He always has a smile on his face and has the best personality and biggest heart.

What do you enjoy most about your time with Mason?

I enjoy catching up with him every week and just listening to him fill me in on what is going on with him. We play a lot of games and we have built numerous LEGO creations, but I enjoy our conversations and laughing together the most.

Have you noticed any changes in Mason since you have started meeting with him?

Mason is much more outgoing with me and in general than when we first started meeting. When I first met with him I felt it was like pulling teeth asking him questions and trying to get him to talk. Now that he is more comfortable with me he doesn’t skip a beat chatting with me. And he knows everyone in his school and has many friends.

What do you like best about being an Elevator?

I feel it is so rewarding being an Elevator. I volunteered to be an Elevator several years ago in hopes that I would be able to help a student, which I feel I am doing, but I have gotten so much more out of the experience than I expected. It is awesome to see Mason succeed in school and be such a happy, sweet kid even with the tremendous adversity he has faced in his young life. It is truly inspiring to know what he has been through and to see it not define him or bring him down. Rather, he has risen above it and has so much potential to do great things in his future.

How long have you been matched with William? I started meeting with him last spring and it has been one of my biggest blessings. He is now a huge part of my life. I believe he may have helped me more than I will ever help him.

How would you describe William? He loves to play and imagine. He is happy and loving and his smile lights up the room.

What do you enjoy most about your time with William? I enjoy being able to step away from my busy world and just be a kid, with him. We play and laugh and just forget about the rest of the world for a while.

Have you noticed any changes in William since you have started meeting with him? He opens up to me about his life and how he feels. I see him being more comfortable to talk about his feelings, which has traditionally been a struggle for him.

What do you like best about being an Elevator? The sense of making a difference in someone’s life. Being a part of the program that gives children so much confidence and enthusiasm for school and friendships. The smile and hug of pure joy when I arrive and leave each visit, is more than I could ask for!

How would you describe Brooklin? She is smart, outgoing, talkative, full of life, and always has a smile on her face. But most of all, she is very loving!

What do you enjoy most about your time with Brooklin? No matter how my day is going – good, bad or in-between – she always puts a smile on my face. I get as much from her as I give to her. From the first day, she told me I was her best friend. She is very endearing! And best of all, we are a perfect match! I feel like she is my mini-me (but with blonde hair)!  

Have you noticed any changes in Brooklin since you have started meeting with her? She has always been outgoing and personable from day one, but after a few meetings, I felt that she could talk to me on a deeper level. Her teacher said she is doing great in school.  

What do you like best about being an Elevator? The sense of making a difference in someone’s life. Being a part of the program that gives children so much confidence and enthusiasm for school and friendships. The smile and hug of pure joy when I arrive and leave each visit, is more than I could ask for!

How would you describe Jeffrey? What an amazing child. Jeffrey is very intelligent, inquisitive, and observant. I was worried at first about how to hold a conversation with someone of his age, but that worry was quickly dispelled. He’s quite the conversationalist! He’s also very outgoing, always stopping to say hello to his schoolmates, and knows them all by name – even those in other grades. Jeffrey is humble, kind, and strives to be a good friend to his peers. All in all, he is a pleasure to be around.

What do you enjoy most about your time with him? I really enjoy just “hanging out” with Jeffrey – whether we’re playing with Legos, making paper airplanes, or just running around in circles (that kid is full of energy!), Jeffrey is always laughing, telling stories, and asking questions. He’s a good listener and quick to share his view on different things with me.

Have you noticed any changes in Jeffrey since you started meeting with him? I have! At our first couple of meetings Jeffrey was a little timid – I think he was feeling me out a little before opening up. But now I feel like we’re old friends. I look forward to our meetings, and I think he does as well (at least I hope so!). We have a good time together!

What do you like best about being an Elevator? Just having a new friend is enough to make joining the program worth it for me, but there’s also a sense of pride found in making a difference for Jeffrey. I can tell his confidence has increased, and I feel like mine has, too. Also, my job can be somewhat stressful at times, and taking a little time out of my week to visit with Jeffrey is a great way to get my mind off of work and chill out with my buddy.

My proudest moment, I think, was watching Shimyra hug her teacher and telling her she was sorry. Shimyra said some mean things and we had a long talk about it. I told her that she should apologize and she did.

The moment that most touched my heart was a card she had made for me saying she loved me. I know I was grinning ear to ear and I showed off my card at work when I got back.

Even though this is my first year I have really enjoyed spending time with Shimyra. I have seen the struggles that some of these children are going through.

This program can bring these kids someone that cares and spend a little quality time with them. But there are so many more kids that need this also.

My first student was MyJaron. I saw a lot of changes in him during our time together.

I was with him since he was in kindergarten so we had several years together. I was also beside him through several school and family changes.

In fact, the first time I visited him after he transferred schools, he kept saying, ‘You found me!’

He’s had some real challenges, so it was nice to be a consistent presence for him. I was even able to see him during my maternity leave and he told everyone that my new little guy was his baby brother!

Sadly the last time he transferred schools, it was out of state.

I was just matched with Ka’laiah. I love my time with her and can’t wait to see where the relationship takes us.

When Josiah was in the fourth grade his teacher let me know that he was having a terrible day when I arrived. She told Josiah he could have his visit with me, but he could not go outside or play games because he had to work on an assignment that he had not done.

When I tried to get him focused on the assignment, he was quite agitated and he said he wasn’t going to - and threw his pencil.

I told him in a quiet voice that we needed to get started on the assignment, but that first he needed to let me give him a hug, because he really needed one.

Luckily, he did, and the tears just started to flow. Once he regained his composure, we started on the assignment. It was a fairly long assignment, but he completed it, just in time to catch his bus.

And he picked up the thrown pencil while we were leaving the Elevator Area.