"I joined the Athletes for Kids program my sophomore year. I am currently a senior and I have grown so much the last 2 years and that is thanks to my buddy. My passion for helping others has grown tremendously and I have learned so much from her. I have grown to be more patient and have had a complete change of perspective. We enjoy going to the zoo and the animal sanctuary together. We also spend some time in her backyard doing a craft, searching for bugs, or jumping on the trampoline. Hearing the happiness in her laugh when we jump on the trampoline or hearing how excited she gets when she sees me is why I joined Athletes for Kids. It’s always a fun time when I see her, and I look forward to seeing her every week. The program has not only helped my buddy, but it has also helped me a lot too."
"Our daughter has grown so much over her time with Chelsea! For the first 6 months, she would grab Chelsea’s hand and lead her on hour-long explorations of the yard looking for bugs! Chelsea persisted through worms, slugs, and beetles and now we can do a variety of activities together. This Halloween, Chelsea organized her friends into a drive by trick or treat for our daughter and we invited the girls who live on either side. Not only did our daughter love the candy, but the other kids got to see her as the reason these cool teens were bringing candy for them, too! At her birthday last month, Chelsea was our non-family guest on our trip to our favorite local zoo. In this year where parties are restricted, it made the day special to have a friend. I can’t believe Chelsea will graduate in a few months. We are excited to see what she does next, and we will miss her very much."