Jan and Evelyn have walked together on an unexpected journey of friendship for more than 7 years! They met when Evelyn was a 4th grader at Jane Addams Elementary in Palatine, Illinois.  At that time, Evelyn was having a tough year in school and really needed some encouragement.  She was a very quiet girl but each week, Jan […]

Jacob & Skylar-Jay became friends three years ago; Skylar-Jay was starting kindergarten and Jacob was leaning into a pull from God to serve as a Kids Hope USA mentor through his church, College Wesleyan. Little did they know that three years later, they would still be great friends! Skylar-Jay was referred to Kids Hope USA […]

“I can’t read! You know that, Kara.” my 1st grade friend shared with me. “I know you can do it – I believe in you. Let’s do it together,” I replied. That was pretty typical for our conversations those first few weeks.  Continually encouraging my new friend that I believed in her, and if we worked […]

“A person can always make time to make a difference.” That’s what Roger DeFeyter said 25 years ago when he met his first Kids Hope USA student at Pine Creek Elementary School. Dean was 7 years old, and after just 20 minutes of getting to know each other, he and Roger began to form a bond that would last for several […]