Lotte Schlegel became a BEST Kids mentor in 2009 in part because she has dreams of one day becoming a foster parent herself. However, she decided she does not have to wait to start making a difference. “I realized that I could be involved in a child’s life even if I wasn’t a foster parent,” she said.

 During her time with BEST Kids Lotte was able to do just what she set out to do: make a positive difference in her mentee’s life. Though it was been an uphill battle at times, she had a tremendous impact on her mentee’s life due to her consistent presence, support, and understanding of his challenges. “We’ve been matched for a year, and it feels like we have memories and routines together, which is great,” she commented.  It is this kind of consistency that is all too often lacking in the lives of youth in the child welfare system.  It is the hope of BEST Kids that, one day, each of these youth will have a mentor like Lotte in his or her life.