Last night, June 9, 2011, ten girls graduated from our Teen Parent Mentoring Program. Some of them have been with us for 5 or six years and some less. Our program runs from age 12 to 21. At our graduation program we presented each girl with a beautiful Bible in pink and brown leatherette. As I presented each girl with her Bible, I told her what made her special to us. At the end of the evening we asked the girls to give us highlights of their time with us. Here are some of the things that stood out:
1. A four-day retreat to the Jersey shore (a gift from a donor for seven of our girls).
2. An evening at Fonda’s where Fonda shared her story while everyone hung out in the pool.
3. Christmas parties.
4. A series on nutrition put on by Cooperative Extension where they received a certificate of completion and were given some practical tips to use with their families.
5. One specifically mentioned how the girls in the group were a support system, and how relationships grew because they did not have a lot in common with their old friends
We hate to see them go but were both blessed and encouraged by the growth that we saw in the girls.