Our Mentoring Story

By Sue Floyd, Chosen Mentor  

​A few years ago, my husband Craig and I decided we had space to join others in a new initiative of Love Alaska called Chosen. The goal was to provide much needed, consistent, stable relationship to at-risk youth. We were matched with a 15-year-old girl who was doing well in a local treatment facility. On paper, she was a very hurt young girl and we initially were intimidated; but then we met her and were instantly drawn to her huge smile and winsome personality.

​At first, we spent an hour or two a week with her at the facility and talked on the phone every few days. She did not have any local family or friends, and soon we were able to pick her up for short outings as she earned privileges. Most relationships through Chosen continue at this level—friendship and showing up on a consistent basis through all kinds of changes and the pains of growing up. Mentorship in this way is powerful, as proven through many stories coming out of Chosen.

But for us, mentorship changed into something we never expected. I remember well the day when we were with our girl attending a church, and I asked her how she would like for us to introduce her to others. She simply said, “Can you say I’m your granddaughter?

We realized at that moment that our hearts were long gone and that would be an “honest” answer.
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Our mentee (granddaughter) is soon to be 17. We have been with her during great difficulty and transition, including four different foster placements in two years. But we are always just a phone call away and available for a run to Starbucks to sort through a boyfriend crisis.

The trust that has grown between us made it possible to take her on a family vacation with us this summer. We watched her step into so many challenges and situations that two years ago would have been impossible. She swam hours in lakes and pools, floated rivers and jumped into creeks, met tons of family, and road tripped 1,300 miles.

She inspires us and is defying the odds and statistics every day. She demonstrates healthy relationship in ways that should be impossible for someone with her history. You may label it “mentorship,” but it’s really just relationship, plain and simple—and powerful. When Craig and I stepped into mentorship, lives changed—hers and ours. She has our heart and we have hers.