I keep telling myself I need to blog, I need to blog. But something always comes up and I don't get to it and I feel bad. So, here I am blogging, but this blog isn't about Emma and Gracie....
This blog is about Victoria, my babysitter. She is an amazing young girl with a lot of strength and courage for such a young person. We met her last summer just before school started.
As soon as the girls and I met her, we knew she was going to be part of our family. She is 20, a tiny little thing about 5'2'' and full of energy and happiness. (I don't have a picture...will get one!) The girls took to her immediately as did Marc and I. You can't help but like her.
Victoria is an amazing girl at her age, in this time, and environment. She comes from a troubled family: her mother is an addict who she hasn't seen in years. Her father is not in her life very much with a troubled life of his own. So Victoria and her 17 year old brother, Victor, live with their uncle and his girlfriend.
Victoria works mornings and afternoons at the community center in Almaden. At 3 pm each day, she picks up Emma and Grace from school. She leaves at 5:30 pm so she can be at night-school by 6pm and stays in classes until 10 pm each night. Weekends are full of more jobs at the community center. I don't know how she does it! Whew...I'm tired just thinking of her schedule.
Even with this hectic schedule, she always has a smile and a kind word. And she takes on the responsibility of her younger brother, supporting him, encouraging him, and trying to set an example for him so that he can do something with his life. Both kids have excellent grades in school. Victor wants to go to Stanford....Victoria has been accepted at every school she has applied to but has decided to go to UC Santa Cruz so she can be close to home to keep an eye on Victor.
She obviously doesn't have a lot of money and is relying heavily on student loans, financial aid, and scholarships. She recently got news that she received a $20,000 scholarship that will help her immensely but won't pay all her tuition for the next two years, or any of her living expenses.
So, I'd like to try and do something to ease some of that financial burden so that she can concentrate on school and being 20! That's where all of you come in! :) I hate asking for money, but in this case, I'm not going to be so shy. She deserves all the help she can get.
If you would like to help, (or think maybe your company could help), please let me know. Anything will do: money, gift cards, a place to stay, even words of encouragement. I know she will truly appreciate it. Thanking you in advance!
Next time I will post about the girls, and hopefully it's not too far in the future. But until then, here is a picture of us skiing at Sierra at Tahoe in February.
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