“My mentorship with my buddy has grown so much in the past year”, say Eastlake mentor Lauren.” We have done so many fun activities together and it is something new every week. Being able to mentor my buddy and having her as one of my friends means so much to me and it warms my heart every time I see her because she is always so excited to be with me. One of the biggest things that has changed over the course of our relationship is our conversations. When we first met, she barely spoke to me but now she sees me as her friend and we talk about school, her friends and the other activities she does. I am so grateful to have gotten the opportunity to get to know her and call her my friend. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next year.”
"Lauren has been a wonderful friend that our daughter never had. Lauren related to our daughter from Day 1 and we saw no hesitation between them from the first meeting. Lauren always brings fun new ideas and things to do. Our daughter loves crafts, Legos and making slime and Lauren has followed her interest and always made it a fun experience for her. They have even gone out for dinner and ice cream together. It is so great for us to see our daughter develop a connection outside her immediate family and develop confidence in meeting and going to new places with her mentor. Lauren has always been there to support her on her important days like Special Olympics Regional Swimming Finals, birthdays etc. making it even more special for her. We truly appreciate the time and efforts that Lauren puts into enriching our daughter’s experiences and helping her with her social skills. We are thankful to have found Athletes for Kids program that has had such a positive impact and is life changing for our kids.”