Bentley
Bentley lives in West Philly and attends a local high school. She is 16 years old and has been living with her grandmother for most of her life. In that time she has dealt with a lot of loss in her family and amongst her circle of friends. Although she and her grandmother are close, Bentley needed someone outside the family to talk to; someone to help her navigate life and understand what she has been through.
Pat
Pat works for an insurance company and lives in West Philadelphia. Having survived parenting her own daughter through the teen years, she was interested in mentoring other teens. She couldn’t find the program that felt right to her, until a friend told her about Family Friends and invited her to get involved.
Perfect Together
Pat was matched with Bentley and her grandmother through Family Friends 6 months ago and they hit it off very quickly. When Bentley and Pat get together they have fun going to the mall, the park or just talking. Bentley has also attended Pat’s church. Pat describes Bentley as “a joy to be around”. Bentley says that Pat “is like a sister”. Pat is a strong believer in a good education so the two often talk about school and Bentley’s classwork. Pat pushes Bentley to ask questions in school to further her education. They also talk about life and social relationships. Bentley’s grandmother appreciates that Pat is there to talk about topics that Bentley may not feel comfortable discussing with her grandmother. She also appreciates the strong mentoring influence that Pat has already had on Bentley. “Pat is perfect for Bentley.”
