How Do We Make A Dare to Dream® Match?

Intentionality in Matching

Within both the Dare to Dream® and Love Box® programs, our team makes every effort to be as intentional as possible when matching families and youth with volunteers and mentors. Case Managers at Cleveland Angels have the honor of meeting with each youth referred to our Dare to Dream® program. This gives us the opportunity to get to know the youths' unique personality, dreams, goals, and interests. It also lets us better understand what THEY want out of a mentoring relationship, as well as qualities they would like for their mentor to have. Letting the youth on our waitlist have as much choice as possible when picking a mentor is also something we are very intentional with. Many times, the youth on our waitlist get the opportunity to look at multiple bios of mentors to choose from. We put a HUGE emphasis on CHOICE since youth experiencing foster care very often do not have a say about who is and is not in their life.

When someone applies to be a Dare to Dream® Mentor, we have an in-depth conversation about the program and the expectations that come with it. We also get to know the volunteers' interests, background, reasoning for wanting to become a mentor, as well as what age group they would be interested in mentoring. Once accepted as a mentor in our Dare to Dream® program, we will then meet for an hour-long orientation to make sure they are fully prepared for the program, and that any questions are answered before entering the role of a “mentor.”

Last month, when a youth referral came in with interests that heavily mirrored the interests of a mentor waiting to be matched, everyone in the office was excited to send the youth the bio of the mentor to see what she thought. They both very much enjoyed being active, especially through playing sports. The youth specifically loves softball and volleyball, and recently started playing both. Sure enough, the mentor waiting has played softball the majority of her life, and has two daughters around the youths age who play volleyball. In addition to that, they both enjoy trying new things! Once sent the bio of the mentor, the youth responded quickly with a “YES!”

On their first visit together, they spent time talking about what a “perfect day” with each other would look like. They both agreed that spending time hitting the volleyball back and forth or getting more comfortable with hitting a softball accompanied by trying a new restaurant would be ideal. The youth also loved that the mentor had daughters her age, and hoped that they would be involved in some of their hangouts as well.

Being intentional about how we match in our programs is what makes our matches so sustainable and meaningful. If you are interested in hearing more stories about how individuals are impacted through how we intentionally match through our programs, click HERE!