Everyone champions their mom for one reason or another, but I have an exceptional reason to champion mine. She works for a Seattle-based nonprofit called Athletes for Kids, and the program is one of the most rewarding phenomenons I have heard of.

The program began when the mother of a son with disabilities contacted the football coach of a local Seattle high school. She asked him if he knew of any players that might be willing to sit with her son at lunch, throw the football around with him, or spend some time with him outside of school. The coach asked his star running back if he would be willing to, and he obliged. The athlete and the student’s once-a-week lunch dates turned into a multiple-year friendship, which inspired the program's inception.

The program operates today very similarly to its origin. A high school freshman or sophomore athlete is paired with a child who has mental, physical or social disabilities, and the pair meet once a week for 90 minutes. The program is not selective about what type of athletics the mentors participate in, nor about the type of disabilities the mentees, or “buddies” have.

My mom is a Mentor Evaluator and she goes through the interviewing process with all athletes who wish to be mentors. When an athlete makes it past the interview stage, he/she meets with the family of their potential buddy to ensure that they would be an ideal match for their son or daughter. If that is the case, the mentor and the buddy are officially paired, and their relationship begins.

Athletes for Kids prides themselves on building long lasting relationships, and most buddies and mentors stay together for two or more years. The activities the buddy and mentor do together are largely dependent on the buddy’s comfort in social scenarios, public events and general interests. One of my close friends in the program had a buddy who had severe social anxiety, so they typically spent their time together at the buddy’s house playing outside or watching TV.

Yet in some instances, buddies and mentors develop a goal together regarding the buddy’s disability. My aforementioned friend’s buddy made it his goal to order and pay for a Starbucks drink by himself, and my friend said that watching his buddy complete this goal after two years of refusing to even enter the store was transformative.

The more time my mom has been in the program, the more stories I have heard that touch my heart. It is incredible to see how much value can be found in a simple relationship, and I wish the program nothing but success for years to come.