Arturo grew up in poverty, living with his mother. There was constant fighting, mostly about money and whether there was enough for Arturo. Arturo’s mother told him she didn’t have enough to raise a child and that he should go live with his father. Arturo’s stint living with his father didn’t last long. His [...]

When it was discovered that her mother was working as a prostitute and using heroin, Antonia was removed from the house and sent to live in a group home. The staff there encouraged her to apply to Youth On Their Own. The YOTO program support has helped Toni with basic needs including food, school [...]

To have someone believe in me enough to donate their money for my future leaves me speechless every time I think about it. I’ve never had family who believed in me or supported what I did, though I did have lovely friends who believed in me more than anything. But for total strangers believing [...]

My name is Alisa. No one would ever believe my story, so I stay silent. I go about my day at school like life is good and I am one of the “in-crowd”. The reality is that both of my parents are drunks. My dad left about two years ago. He wasn’t much good [...]

I’d like to share my story of going from one extreme to another. I’ll begin with the year 2012, the time when I hit rock bottom and had had enough. Looking back, basically all my life was a struggle. At the time I remember thinking that all of my challenges were normal because that [...]

Jake grew up in Tucson with his mom and brother, with both boys being subjected to repeated verbal and emotional abuse. After several domestic violence reports were filed, the boys were removed by CPS and have spent close to 10 years in group homes, away from family members. Jake has struggled academically and is [...]

Morgan grew up in Phoenix and was raised by her mother. Her dad lived in Mexico and was unable to support the family financially. Morgan was a very gifted student with a bright future ahead of her. When she was a teenager, she was in the car with her mom and sister on the [...]

Seventeen year old Kevin is bright and passionate about academics, despite the difficulties he’s faced throughout his life. Kevin’s mother lost parental rights early in his life and his father struggled to support them financially. As their bills grew, so did the tension between Kevin and his father. Eventually it was too much, and [...]

Jawara and Malaika are Sudanese refugees, living under the care of their 22 year old sister, Asha. Their father returned to his African homeland several years ago, and their mother, having recently lost a leg in a car accident, followed shortly thereafter. Asha works full time at a pre-school, but earns just above minimum [...]