Does it happen to you? Without fail in December, I find myself internally reviewing my year-at-a-glance highlights reel. (Now you know what was happening in my head when I seemed particularly pensive standing in the coffee line!) As we prepare to watch the ball drop and usher in a new year, I’m incredibly proud of the accomplishments of our young people and our staff who are featured prominently in AFC Mentoring’s best of moments in this year’s highlights reel.
In 2014 we saw terrific successes for many of our youth including EJ who, after speaking to many of you at our Match gala, just completed his first semester at Suffolk University, and Andrea who has excelled in her employment at a local bookstore, and Jeremy who just started a new job at a health center as an outreach coordinator. Our youth exemplify resilience and tenacity at every turn, and we’re grateful to our volunteer mentors who help our young people to shine even brighter.
As an organization we were honored to be chosen by Root Cause as a 2014 Social Innovator, for having “an innovative and sustainable solution to one of the region’s toughest social issues.” Our experience with the Social Innovation Forum introduced us to many new friends and opportunities for growth, including being chosen for a three year investment from Social Venture Partners who is working closely with our team to expand the reach of AFC’s programs.
As I fast forward through these many wonderful highlights one thing remains clear – we would not be where we are today without the consistent and steadfast support that you, our amazing community, offer day after day, week after week, month after month, and year after year. Thank you for being in this with us for the long haul – we know that long term support is what our young people need and deserve and with your help, AFC will continue to show up for our youth today, tomorrow and always.
I hope you’ll consider including AFC in your new year’s resolutions. There are many ways to get involved with our work, so whether you want to explore becoming a volunteer mentor, or whether you’d enjoy helping to throw the best party of the year as we host our Match gala in June, or whether you’d like to invest in our young people by making a donation, there are many ways to make a difference at AFC for young people in foster care.
Thank you for being part of our AFC family – we look forward to working with you to create many highlights for the 2015 reel! Happy New Year!
