Success Stories
At the Center, we're used to good news, great results and happy endings. These are just a few:

Tran
With the help of a mentor and other workers from the Center, Tran, a 15 year old runaway, turned her back on a life of gangs and drugs and was reunited with her family.

Lydia
Lydia, a Russian immigrant who spoke limited English and had ended up on welfare, found work as a baker through the Center's employment counseling program. Now, two years later, she trains the bakery's new employees.

Mrs. Kuan Yee
76 year old Mrs. Kuan Yee, recently immigrated from China, became a U.S. citizen after only 18 months in the Center's ESL/Citizenship class.

Huyen Vo
Resiliency and determination are words that best describe Miss Huyen Vo, a young woman who had suffered a tragic fire that scarred her and took the lives of her mother and older sisters when they lived in Viet Nam. Fortunately, her family received sponsorship to come to the United States so that she can receive medical treatment from Shriners Hospital for Children. They settled in the South Sacramento area where Huyen attended Will C. Wood Middle School. Realizing Huyen's special needs, her school counselors referred her to the Club Yex Program for tutoring and counseling services. Her father also received counseling services from another program the Center offers, Project Family, to help him adjust to the new responsibilities of being a single father, and the challenging demands of starting a new life in the United States, such as overcoming the language barrier and seeking employment.

Despite the tragedy that Huyen had undergone, she has maintained a cheerful disposition and has excelled in her academics to the point of winning a math competition and receiving an Award for Academic Excellence presented by the Sacramento City Unified School District. She has given back to her community by volunteering as a teacher's assistant through the Healthy Start Program.

Huyen and her family's life will never be the same, but they have established strong roots and a strong sense of belonging, with the continued help of the Center and the Sacramento community.

La Taysha Adams
Just two years ago, La Taysha Adams was an 11-year-old girl who was shy and withdrawn. She was not receiving proper attention at home and consequently responded by performing poorly in school. In March of 2003, La Taysha was recommended to the Friends For The Future Mentoring Program by her school counselor because she did not have a positive role model in her life. Her declining grades proved that she was in need of academic and emotional support. Coincidentally, La Taysha also expressed an interest in having a mentor who could "help with some stuff." Although La Taysha was only 11 at the time, she was in touch with her current situation and understood that she needed additional guidance to nurture her young mind and heart.

Throughout La Taysha's participation with Friends For The Future, she has been matched with two mentors whom have helped La Taysha blossom into a young teenager who is articulate, cheerful and a delight to be around. La Taysha's mentor describes La Taysha as "confident and outgoing." During Friends For The Future mentoring events, La Taysha no longer keeps to herself in a corner. She is bursting with life, and her fun and energetic personality is contagious around the other youth in the program. Her creative skills were also expressed when La Taysha wrote a thank you poem for her mentor.

Not only has La Taysha's social skills improved, but her study skills and habits have improved as well. La Taysha believes in herself, and recognizes her strengths and weaknesses. Although her grades are not perfect, her mentality towards education is. She tries her best to succeed in school, and she is not afraid to ask for help in her studies.

Today, La Taysha is no longer the shy and withdrawn 11-year-old who first joined Friends For The Future. Her mentor describes La Taysha as " a sweet girl who is smart, caring, and packed with potential." La Taysha is popular with her friends, enjoys spending time with the mentoring group, and is committed to her academics.