Aivah and Stacey
September TeamMates of the Month: Somebody You Can Trust
Sixth-grader Aivah knows why and how she and her mentor Stacey were matched nearly three years ago.
“I had struggles at home. My third grade teacher mentioned TeamMates to me, and my parents said yes. I remember there’s a piece of paper you fill out so you can be matched. You circle things that you really enjoy. I circled crafts.”
And so did Stacey. Stacey shared why they make such a good match.
“I have had a career where I’ve always worked with young people, sometimes directly, sometimes more indirectly. And it’s something I enjoy. When the facilitator said, ‘I have a student who’s going to be a great match. You two are going to get along so well,’ I trusted her.”
Trust matters to Aivah too.
“Whenever Stacey notices that I’m down or something, she always asks what’s wrong and I always tell her, because she’s just, she’s a trustworthy adult. When I realized that I could trust her, then I got to open up to Stacey and she opened up to me too.”
That’s what friends do. And that may be why one of the things that Stacey named that she appreciates about Aivah is that she is a good friend.
“She’s the kind of friend I want to have, because of her thoughtfulness, kindness and caring. And she’s fun. She wants to do fun things with other people and involve them and cheer them up. She’s just such a good friend in that way.”
Friends are important in both good times and times of challenge, like when Aivah found out she was going to need surgery. Though it was years ago, she remembers the exact date.
“It was January 14. That was a big memory. I was at the hospital in Omaha for the whole day and then I had to rest and I couldn’t play softball for about three months.”
Stacey remembers the worry of her young friend.
“That was a rough time. She was worried about that and nervous. We talked about it, and I offered some advice, or words of encouragement. That’s a hard thing for somebody to go through at any age.”
They still work on crafts, which is part of what brought the two left-handers together, but the trust they have built is the glue. Stacey says, “That’s what makes it the best part of my week.”