Sandy and Jenny met for the first time at Dairy Queen about 8 years ago. At the time, Sandy was pregnant with her third child. Jenny was in an instable marriage and had a son who had a disability of his own. On top of that, she was having issues with her housing. Sandy was introduced to Jenny by the Citizen Advocacy program coordinator to help Jenny through some of these issues. Sandy helped support Jenny through that rough spot in her life. Jenny is a much happier and healthier person, in part because of the role of support that Sandy offered her.
However the relationship has bloomed into a genuine friendship. At times Sandy continues to support Jenny, but Jenny also supports Sandy. When Sandy lost her mother-in-law and Jenny lost her son around the same time, they were there for each other to help each other through the grief.Jenny knows Sandy’s family as if it were her own. Jenny has watched her children grow and even helps Sandy put on parties for her children. Sandy has invited Jenny along to family get-togethers and has introduced Jenny to her friends. In fact, they consider themselves to be sisters, though there’s some disagreement on who’s the oldest! Now some of Sandy’s friends have become Jenny’s friends. Sandy says that now when she refers to Jenny as a friend, she means it. It’s not someone she helps or volunteers for, it’s someone she genuinely cares about and sometimes depends on, as in any genuine friendship.
Sarah Johnson
Program Coordinator