Jordyan’s Story of Mentorship Care

I’ve known Jordyan since he was nine, quiet and withdrawn but full of potential. Over the years, he was moved from one program to another, starting with a behavior program in Saginaw during COVID, where he couldn’t have visitors and only saw his mentor through FaceTime. When he finally came home, the courts sent him to yet another placement, ending that first mentoring match.

In the new program, I matched him with a mentor who stayed with him through everything: leaving Havenwick, returning to his biological mom, being kicked out, watching his sister re‑enter foster care, moving to another facility, and eventually entering independent living. The mentor often felt powerless, frustrated with the system, but I encouraged him to advocate fiercely for this kid. 

That advocacy led him to open his home as a foster parent.

Then he moved to Washington for work, but he kept his home licensed, determined not to lose this connection. After a long process, he gained guardianship, and the biological mom relinquished her rights. On Friday, I got a text from the plane: the kid, now sixteen, was thrilled to finally be going home with the one adult who never gave up on him.

I’ve watched him grow into a confident young man, and I couldn’t be prouder of both him and the mentor who chose to stand by him.

Tiffney Mullinax
Mentor Coordinator
Judson Center