This year’s Holiday meetUP was intended to bring homey feelings of an old-time Christmas gathering with friends. Thanks to dedicated volunteers who led creative activities, the event had a special element of thoughtfulness. Other festive touches included a hot cocoa bar, holiday crafts, and one of the season’s most iconic traditions: cookie decorating.

Mentor Kristin, who also volunteers as a baker with Cake4Kids, truly made the day sweet (literally, with more than 6 pounds of powdered sugar!). After hours of prep to mix, roll out, and bake more than 100 cookies in 5 festive shapes, she also prepared 5 colors of homemade royal icing and packed dozens of mini piping bags for everyone.

Kristin and other amazing volunteers arrived early to set up cookie-decorating stations and transform a lovely apartment clubhouse into a festively welcoming space. Wintery decor also reflected elements of Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanza to honor the diversity within our community. As Mentoring Matches arrived, the room quickly filled with chatter and laughter amid holiday tunes. Mentees and Mentors mingled while eating tasty bites and warm hot chocolate.

Then, everyone gathered for cookie fun. Kristin guided the group through flood-decorating techniques, and once everyone got the hang of it, creativity took over. The perfectly golden Christmas trees, stockings, sweaters, snowflakes, and dark brown gingerbread cookies were decorated with care and delight. For several mentees, this was their first time decorating cookies, which was very special for Kristin, who cherishes memories of this tradition.

Another favorite activity was the craft station, where mentees created DIY ornaments and sculpted mini snowmen from air-dry putty. The space also had a small theater complete with comfy lounge chairs in stadium-style seating. A big screen played modern animated holiday short films curated by Volunteer Videographer Victoria.

Holiday cards for some of the people who invest in our mission were available for mentees and mentors to sign, offering an opportunity to share their gratitude. Two of the youth happily insisted on signing every card — more than 30 — to personally thank those who help make our community possible.

Seeing the youth mingle with one another, their mentors, and other volunteers is so heartwarming. It is also very meaningful to the youth. As one shared, “It’s my time to escape from my real world and come together with everybody and have a great time.”

Everyone left with a box of cookies (some with fewer than others as the sweet creations were hard to resist), any crafts they created, and feel-good holiday vibes. The youth also received a stocking with candy, useful items and fun gadgets, thanks to some generous friends. One mentee won a Chromebook through CalKIDS, which was perfect for her college journey.

After the event, our entire community of Mentoring Matches received an email with the cookie and icing recipes and a link to the animated shorts. This way, those who participated could relive the fun, and those who were unable to attend would still enjoy some of the festivities.

It was a day filled with cheer, new traditions, and gifts that brought care and joy during a season that can be very difficult for young people who have experienced foster care. We are deeply grateful to have held this space and thank all 7 volunteers — including a Mentoring Match and one young adult mentee — who made it happen.

May the spirit of sweet togetherness continue to fill hearts this season and throughout the year ahead!

And we’re seeing it happen! The youth in our program are breaking statistics—graduating high school on time, pursuing college and career pathways, securing employment, and living independently. These outcomes are not accidental; they are the result of intentional mentoring, trauma-informed support, and a community that invests in young people.

When Aging UP first launched, we served ages 13 to 17, with the intent of “aging up” through 24. Thanks to grants from Golden 1 Credit Union and other generous funding, we are proud to have achieved this first milestone. Today, half of our young people are 18 or older.

But our vision is greater. Over the next five years, we aim to triple the number of youth served annually, extend support through age 26, and lay the foundation for securing a dedicated training and recreation center where Mentoring Matches can connect, learn and truly belong.

Please take a moment to hear from our friend, Don, Chief Empowerment Officer at Just in Time for Foster Youth in San Diego, on how much he believes in our mission.

To make the bold move of hiring staff to efficiently lead this next phase, increase the frequency and depth of mentor training, and enhance the quality of support our youth deserve requires reliable, mission-aligned funding.

Here’s where you come in. Join us in making our vision a reality. Your one-time, multi-year or monthly commitment at a level that feels meaningful to you can make it happen. Whether it’s an investment of $25 per month or a one-time gift of $50,000, or any amount in between, every dollar gets us closer to expanding access to mentoring, connection and opportunity! Please click here to read more about our vision and download a pledge commitment form, or you can visit agingup.org/give.

Together, we can empower brighter futures for even more deserving young people in the Sacramento region!

For more than ten years, Amber has worked in the nonprofit sector, supporting families experiencing poverty and youth currently or formerly in the foster care system. In 2018, Amber served as a congressional intern with the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, where she wrote and delivered a policy report to Members of Congress and White House staff, highlighting the importance of early trauma screenings and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) prevention efforts.

In September 2024, we excitedly welcomed Amber as a vital addition to our staff team, formerly comprised only of our Founders. In this first role as Community Coordinator, Amber supported philanthropic initiatives and fundraising events. In 2026, after a brief personal leave, Amber was welcomed back to the team in an expanded role to manage all philanthropic efforts to help us achieve Our Vision of serving 100 youth annually by 2030.

In her free time, Amber enjoys rooting on the UW Huskies, spending time with her corgi, drinking coffee, and camping with her husband and four-year-old son.

Our recent Harvest Picnic meetUP was a fun way to celebrate this season! Mentoring Matches met at a local park for lunch and pumpkin carving. It was a beautiful Sacramento fall day — chilly yet sunny, which made it a perfect outdoor event where Matches could social distance while still enjoying time together as a group.

Upon arrival, the teens selected a large pumpkin and received a small decorated bucket filled with a carving kit and a surprise goodie bag that included festive socks and candy. A hearty lunch of fresh sandwiches with chips was made complete by adorable and very tasty monster cookies, thanks to our friends at Cake4Kids.

Youth and mentors worked side-by-side to create their unique jack-o’-lanterns. Most Matches freehanded their pumpkin designs while others used patterns from their carving kits. All of the jack-o’-lanterns came out great, and it was wonderful to celebrate together!

We encourage all caring adults to help teens in your life enjoy Halloween in a way that makes them comfortable. Check out our fun suggestions*:

• Let them eat candy! If you’re passing out candy, please share with teens — even if they don’t say “trick or treat” or aren’t in (elaborate) costumes.
• Help them dress up. It doesn’t have to cost a lot. Dressing up can be done with minimal accessories, simple hair/makeup and everyday clothes. We also like these fun and affordable costume ideas curated by Fabulessly Frugal.
• Order tasty takeout – several pizza chains offer jack-o’-lantern-shaped pizza. You can also check out tasty deals (shared by TODAY) from national restaurants, like Krispy Kreme, Wendy’s and more.
• Have a movie marathon — depending on your teen’s preference, you can stream Halloween-inspired movies from a spooky, horror, vintage or comedy genre.
• Bake or decorate a fun seasonal treat, like one of these easy recipes from Insanely Good.
• Of course, pumpkin carving is a great activity — you can make it a contest and give a prize.

We hope these tips* encourage you to do something fun with the teens in your life. A signature part of our program is to provide positive recreation to youth from foster care. We are proud to offer these age-appropriate activities and love seeing our young people enjoy traditions with their mentors.

We hope you enjoy a safe and happy Halloween!

*This content is NOT sponsored. These are original ideas from Aging UP staff and any companies mentioned are simply noted for inspiration.

As a former foster youth, Brittany also has personal experience with the child welfare system. Since emancipation, she has been actively involved with various nonprofit organizations that assist current and/or former foster youth. We were thrilled when she joined our Board in September 2019 to serve as the Youth Advocate, a position for a former foster youth between the ages of 18 and 30. She elevated the efforts of this role but the time came, and the team felt it more appropriate, for Brittany to step into an Executive role and serve as Board Secretary in July 2022. We are honored to have Brittany’s passion to improving the outcomes of youth from foster care in our community.

Brittany has lived in Sacramento since she was 9 years old and is enjoying building her family life here. When not working, she loves to spend time with her partner, Roger, their son, Ryan, and dog, Bandit. Brittany’s hobbies include playing ultimate frisbee and volleyball, tending to her succulent garden and reading.

Photo by Lana Akin Photography

Sandy developed a promising child-focused recruitment program called Relationship Development Matching (RDM). This program has proven extremely effective in achieving permanency for youth in foster care who have special needs. She has published multiple articles on RDM and presented the model at local and national conferences.

Cofounders April and Kecia had formerly worked with Sandy and witnessed her deeply ingrained belief in the importance of attachment and relationship to the emotional well-being of youth. This was an obvious blend with our mission, and in early 2019, it was an honor to welcome Sandy as a Match Coordinator. Her role in our program is to provide regular check-ins with mentors, teens and their caregivers. She serves as a mentor to the mentors she monitors and helps them navigate the relational development with their youth.

In her free time, Sandy enjoys cozying up to watch a movie or getting out to explore small towns in the foothills or along the coast. She is an experienced adoptive parent with four children, three grown sons and an adult daughter who sadly passed away.

Photo by Lana Akin Photography

Bonnie has more than 22 years of experience working in the area of childhood trauma. Before launching her therapy practice, Bonnie was a social worker dedicated to serving children in foster care.

Her passion for working with youth in foster care ignited in 2000 when she met a young lady in foster care while working for an after-school recreation program. After getting to know the youth and hearing more about her situation, Bonnie decided on a job as a social worker at a local foster family agency. Over the early years of her career, Bonnie obtained her Master of Counseling Degree and began working in a more therapeutic setting. Cofounders April and Kecia knew Bonnie through a mutual connection. They reached out and were thrilled when she accepted the opportunity to be our first Match Coordinator in 2018. 

Bonnie is happily married to her husband of 27 years and is a mother of 2 creative and energetic young men. In her free time, Bonnie is a fitness fanatic with six Spartan races and one Tough Mudder Classic completed. More recently, she enjoys CrossFit and paddle boarding.

Photo by Lana Akin Photography