“I had to take the bus to go to the grocery store,” Lizzie remembered. “So I got all these groceries and then I’m like, ‘Oh no, what do I do?’ I couldn’t carry all of them, but I really needed food.” In that moment she did something that had never felt easy before. 

Lizzie entered Good Dirt Collective’s Mud Girls Program, where they can request to be paired with a mentor, someone who shows up consistently to offer support, encouragement, and practical help through everyday life. Navigating adulthood alone often meant long bus rides, grocery bags she could barely carry, and the quiet belief that no one would show up when things became difficult. When she met her mentor Vikki, that belief slowly began to change. Through consistent presence, shared meals, and simple acts of care, Lizzie discovered that mentorship could look like friendship, encouragement, and someone walking alongside her.

A Mentorship Program That Starts With Showing Up

At Good Dirt Collective, mentorship begins with something simple. Mentors commit to showing up once a month with a box of needed items and time to spend together. When a young woman requests a mentor, the team takes intentional time to find the right fit, carefully interviewing each mentor to prepare them for what to expect and what not to expect. At its core, the role is not complicated, but it is deeply meaningful. Mentors walk alongside the girls, offering their time. They become someone to call for advice, someone to show up in challenging moments, and someone to cheer them on through every victory. What often grows from that small commitment becomes something far deeper than anyone expects. For Lizzie, the mentorship program introduced her to someone who would become one of the most important people in her life.

When Lizzie first met her mentor, Vikki, she did not expect the warmth she encountered. Meeting someone new can often feel uncertain, especially when life has taught you to be cautious about who will stay and who will leave. Yet from the beginning, Vikki’s presence felt different. Lizzie remembers how surprising it was to be greeted with such genuine joy. “Vicky, she’s been a joy in my life ever since I met with her,” Lizzie said. “She’s always been so cheery and so happy to meet me, even though she didn’t know me. I thought that was really surprising because I didn’t think someone would be really cheery to meet me.” What started as a simple introduction slowly grew into a steady and meaningful relationship.

Navigating Life on Her Own

For many young women transitioning out of foster care, everyday responsibilities can feel overwhelming. Things that others might take for granted, like grocery shopping or transportation, often require careful planning and resilience. At the time Lizzie met Vikki, she relied on the bus to get around the city. One afternoon she had taken the bus to the grocery store, determined to make sure she had enough food at home. When she stepped outside with bags filled with groceries, the reality of getting everything back home began to set in.

“I had to take the bus to go to the grocery store,” Lizzie remembered. “So I got all these groceries and then I’m like, ‘Oh no, what do I do?’ I couldn’t carry all of them, but I really needed food.” In that moment she did something that had never felt easy before. 

She asked for help.

Lizzie called Vikki, unsure of what the response might be. Without hesitation, Vikki answered in the simplest and most reassuring way possible. “Okay, I’ll be right there.” For Lizzie, the moment was powerful not because of the groceries themselves, but because someone had chosen to show up. “That’s when it was really surprising because I thought no one would help me,” she said. Vikki arrived and helped carry the groceries, turning what could have been a discouraging moment into something that left a lasting impression. It was proof that she did not have to face everything alone.

The Confidence to Ask for Help

Small moments often carry the greatest impact. That afternoon outside the grocery store began to reshape the way Lizzie saw herself and the people around her. Before meeting Vikki, asking for help had never felt like an option. Independence had been something she believed she had to carry entirely on her own.

That belief slowly began to shift. “It actually really brought confidence in me to ask for help,” Lizzie explained. “I was never used to asking for help at all. So once she’s like, ‘Okay, I’ll help you,’ it made me think maybe other people want to help me too. And it made me feel so secure.” The relationship showed her that asking for support was not a weakness but a way to build connection and trust.

What Mentorship Looks Like in Everyday Life

For Vikki, mentorship has never been about grand gestures or complicated plans. Instead, it is found in the ordinary moments that slowly weave two lives together. “Lots of different ways,” she explained when describing how they spend time together. “Sometimes it’s just a text. Sometimes it’s dinner out. Sometimes it’s grocery shopping. Sometimes it’s just grabbing a coffee and trying to connect.”

Over time those everyday interactions became something Lizzie looked forward to. They went out to eat together, explored shops, and shared conversations about life and goals. Vikki describes herself as a foodie, and Lizzie happily joined her in discovering good restaurants and meals together. Yet beyond the dinners and outings, it was the feeling of belonging that meant the most.

One moment that stayed with Lizzie was when Vikki invited her to dinner with her daughter. What might have seemed like a casual evening held deep meaning. “When she took me on a dinner date with one of her daughters, I felt like I was joining into her family,” Lizzie said. “She was introducing me to one of her daughters and she wanted to share me with her family, which is really amazing because I never would have thought that someone would bring me in like that.” The invitation represented something Lizzie had not expected to experience. It was the feeling of being welcomed and included.

A Relationship That Changes Both Lives

While mentorship is often described as something offered by one person to another, Vikki discovered that the relationship changed her life just as much as it changed Lizzie’s.

“I was in a really difficult place in my life and really focusing on myself,” Vikki shared. “I had really prayed one morning that God would just help me see beyond my pain and grief that I was walking through.”

Not long after, she reached out to a friend connected to Good Dirt Collective, asking how she could help. That’s when she learned the program was looking for mentors.

“Honestly, I thought I was going to be bringing cookies or something once a week,” she said.

But then she met Lizzie and everything shifted.

“They told me about Lizzie and introduced me to her, and it was just an immediate connection,” Vikki said. “And Lizzie has been a huge blessing in my life.”

The connection felt immediate. As the months passed, Vikki watched Lizzie grow in confidence and determination. “I’ve just seen her blossom and grow so much,” she said. “I’m so incredibly proud of her and the young lady she’s become.” What began as an act of service became one of the most meaningful relationships in her life.

A Story Still Being Written

For Lizzie, mentorship has brought something she once believed might not exist in her life: the certainty that someone is walking alongside her. When she reflects on the relationship, she describes it simply as a blessing. The connection she found through Good Dirt Collective continues to grow through shared meals, encouraging texts, and the steady presence of someone who chose to show up.

Sometimes mentorship begins with a small commitment, like meeting once a month or bringing a box of needed items. Sometimes it begins with a conversation. And sometimes it begins with someone answering the phone and saying the words that Lizzie still remembers clearly.

“I’ll be right there.”