Impact
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“I’ve had a lot of ups and downs and a lot of people walk in and out of my life. What I realized is you really need a village. The people who came into my life from Don’t Go Alone… in that time frame helping me through these issues helped me think about who I want to be and where I want to go. I’m very grateful for it. I know where my life could have been and I’m glad it didn’t go all the way there. The moral of the story is no one can do this alone. Everybody needs somebody and having these mentors allowed me to not stress as much and allowed me to walk into my truth of who I want to be. I’m 22. I’m still young. I’m trying to continue to grow and I’m glad Wild Oak Haven has allowed me to join this community because we can impact these kids in so many ways.”
- Q, Wild Oak Haven Community Ambassador
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“My experience so far, has been eye opening. The number one thing my mentee wants is for someone to listen. Every time I went out I made a point to bring him a meal to him and we would go sit at Buckroe Beach and chat as long as he would wanted to chat and last weekend and we were sitting there eating some wings and he said ‘Hey Will, you know, I love that you always bring food, but what I really want is your time.’
The Holy Spirit works in us. Completely. Lots of concerted prayer led to my mentee reaching out and saying ‘Hey, can we do a Bible study? I would love to do that with you.’ That was something I was slow rolling. I just wanted him to be comfortable with me and I didn’t open that up, he opened that up. What he told me was, I could die tomorrow, and in the area he lives in and the world we live in today, the truth is he’s afraid of hell. So I said, when I come up next week, this is what we’re talking about.”
-Will, mentor
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“Our first foster baby was three days old when we picked her up from the hospital almost two years ago. For nearly a year and a half we watched her grow and meet every milestone. She made eye contact. She sat up. She crawled. She walked. And, oh boy, did she climb. She was a bright light in our home, and lovingly called us Nana and Pop Pop.
Then, when she was 17 months old, we went to court and heard from the social worker that she was going home to her bio parents. That was the long-term plan, of course, but we had no idea it would happen that day.
We cried. We said goodbye. We didn’t know if we’d ever see her again. We cried some more. Our house was so empty without her.
That’s when we reached out to folks at The Village and started attending the monthly gatherings. They were an incredible blessing and help to us as we navigated the transition period when our first placement went home. They gave us advice on how to communicate with the birth parents, and they gave us encouragement and empathy. We’ve been attending regularly ever since, and we’re now at a place where we can uplift others in the same way.
Foster parenting is rewarding and challenging and incredible and brutal. It’s not something you’d want to do alone. Community is key, and The Village is a core part of our community.”
-Bryan and Lianne Stevenson, Village family
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“I got in contact with Connections Home through a case manager. Once I started that journey I met some amazing people and they really helped set me on the right path to get this far, and get through college.
Relationships are very important to me… Growing up I didn’t have that support system with my family or the people I was talking to. So once I got … with my mentor family they just took me in like I was literally their daughter. It wasn’t weird, it wasn’t uncomfortable… of course I was kinda skeptical because I’m like, ‘Okay, what do you guys want out of me? You’re a little too nice, you’re a little too friendly.’ And of course with a lot of back trauma you’re going to experience doubt. But they just took me in. I was able talk to them about anything. We just felt like a family.
Having those relationships helped me get internships, jobs and encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and even helped find the church I currently go to now. It’s just having that support system, honestly.
Miyanna, mentee
