Once a mentee is part of the Aging UP community, they continue to be. When approached about her wishes, Davani asked to be matched with another mentor. Based on similar interests and personalities, a new mentor was quickly identified. Davani was matched with her second mentor, Cara*, in July 2021.

Within months of being re-matched, Davani was placed more than an hour’s drive outside of Sacramento County. That was no problem for Mentor Cara, who went above and beyond, traveling the extra distance to maintain time with Davani.

Davani continued to have placement changes and lived in 3 different foster homes before returning to an independent living program in Sacramento during her high school senior year. Through all of this—placement changes and uncertainties—Cara remained a constant in Davani’s life. In 2023, Davani graduated high school and enrolled in community college. Davani is now 19 years old and on track to receive two AA degrees in the summer of 2025.

It has not been easy for Davani to work and maintain good grades. Yet, she has remained committed. This past summer, however, Davani experienced stress, which required mental health services. Thankfully, she was not alone. Davani not only had her mentor but also our AmeriCorps Member Maya, who provides hands-on adulting support. Maya drove Davani to mental health services and stayed with her throughout the intake process, modeling self-advocacy. Mentor Cara took the following day off work so she and Davani could spend time together and enjoy a peaceful nature walk.

One of Davani’s recurring stressors was difficulty finding and maintaining a job. She continued meeting with Maya for hands-on support. Maya connected her with Compassion Planet, a partner organization specializing in workforce development. Davani now has steady work hours of paid, on-the-job training!

Back on track, Davani resumed courses but still felt overwhelmed and tired of working so hard without seeing immediate benefits. She was planning to give up after earning her associate degrees. She met with Maya to discuss this. Maya empathetically listened and explored future life scenarios with and without a 4-year degree.

Davani is interested in a career in law enforcement and realized the long-term benefits of gaining a bachelor’s degree. She now plans to transfer to Sacramento State University in the fall of 2025.

We are so proud of Davani and honored to offer her and all our mentees a caring and consistent mentor with resources and support from our program team. We are grateful to our community of supporters who invest in our mission and make this work possible—thank you! If you would like to join them, please visit agingup.org/give-support today!

*Names changed for confidentiality

Alexxa leverages her unique skills to impact the foster care and mental health systems. She has actively contributed to legislative initiatives such as the Foster Care Bill of Rights and Prop 63 and played other roles in changing and improving the foster care and mental health systems. As an accomplished author, Alexxa has contributed to developing a social worker training curriculum and toward a bestselling collaborative book, among other works.

With a strong foundation in group work, advocacy, and therapeutic practices, Alexxa excels at leading discussions and facilitating healing processes for individuals and communities.

When we needed another Match Coordinator, Alexxa’s personal and professional experience made her a welcomed addition to our Program Team. Serving as a mentor to our mentors, Alexxa is dedicated to empowering our youth, parents, caregivers, and mentors to build strong, supportive relationships.

Alexxa is an avid foodie and enjoys music, live entertainment and spending time with family and friends. As a lifelong learner and entrepreneur, Alexxa is committed to expanding her knowledge and uplifting others.

The Match Coordinator will join our efforts of empowering youth with experience in foster care by providing supervision and supportive services to mentors and youth in our program. Tasks include regular check-ins with program participants (youth, mentors and caregivers) to monitor participant safety, ensure positive impacts for youth, and promote healthy relationships between youth and their mentors.

This independent contractor role will start in August 2024 and offers a high degree of flexibility. You will support a caseload of up to 10 Mentoring Matches comprised of youth (ages 13-22) and their volunteer adult mentors. Because most mentors and youth have daytime commitments of work and school, weekend availability is needed but adjusted to suit your schedule.

Does this sound like YOU?! Review the full scope of work description and apply by July 31, 2024.

*You can learn more about our current Match Coordinators at agingup.org/our-team.

With more than 12 years of experience working with adults, children and families in a variety of clinical settings, Traci specializes in the areas of complex trauma and abuse/PTSD, grief and loss, substance abuse and recovery, and parent-teen relationships and communication. She provides therapeutic services, crisis intervention, and support to foster, adoptive and kinship families throughout all phases of the foster care and adoption process. Traci also holds a Master’s in Public Administration/Health Services Administration. Before receiving her MA in Counseling Psychology and launching her own therapy practice, she worked for more than 18 years in management positions within the health services industry.  

Traci’s passion for supporting at-risk children affected by trauma began early in her clinical career when she had the honor of working with a youth who was exiting the foster system. She helped the youth heal from complex trauma and long-standing abusive relationships, nurtured resiliency and assisted in the development of healthy connections with others. Since that time, Traci has become a TAC-Certified therapist (Training for Adoption Competency) and continues to support foster and adoptive children and families in the community. When preparing for Aging UP’s third mentoring cohort, Cofounders April and Kecia had the pleasure of going through the interview process with Traci. They selected her to join the team as her expertise and experience were a seamless match to our mission.

To maintain balance in her life, Traci enjoys the outdoors: hiking, kayaking, skiing, cycling and camping. She believes that any outdoor activity with family or friends—and the family dogs, Coyote and Huckleberry—nourishes her soul!

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