On Mondays (prior to the pandemic), Blossom would be working downtown at a children’s hospital. She would be working with families in the neonatal intensive care unit to understand and learn how to best support entire families by providing the best quality of life for their sick child. After a full day of work, she would head to southeast Scarborough-the community of Kingston-Galloway to be specific-to volunteer at Toronto City Mission’s (TCM) EPIC (Education Provided in Community) tutoring program. There she would meet with her student Ashley and spend one hour helping her with her homework.
So how did Blossom end up where she is today? Back in 2009, she went on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic where she worked with a homeless population that included children. This experience led her to change her area of study from psychology and education of children to focusing on the medical and health needs of children. Her shift in focus was solidified as she went on another mission trip in 2016 to Rawanda which exposed her to the lives of parents in sex work, living with AIDs, and families in dire situations where children were in desperate need of medical help.
Fast forward a couple of years, Blossom was looking for an opportunity to work with children specifically in the area of education. Her father shared with her about TCM and their EPIC tutoring program. The idea of one-on-one tutoring, and the opportunity to build a relationship with a child who is impacted by poverty really appealed to her. After going through the volunteer application process, she started in January of this year and was matched with Ashley.
Ashley is an energetic child who is always full of life and questions. Due to certain exceptionalities Ashley often found it hard to focus. This caused her to fall behind in her academic learning. Over time, that one hour of tutoring went from constantly asking Ashley to come back to the table, to her being excited to learn with different resources provided by TCM staff. Ashley now has a stronger foundation in math and is learning to love reading.
During the time of COVID-19, Blossom’s time with Ashley moved from in person to online. During that time Blossom and TCM Outreach Worker Carmen saw answered prayers as God helped Ashley become more focused and engaged in her homework. Small improvements were noticed each time. God also opened doors for Blossom to connect with Ashley’s mom Annette. Not only was a positive relationship being formed between Blossom and Ashley, but also with Annette as well.
“I would encourage others to join in the work of Toronto City Mission. It is a small time commitment but very rewarding, developing relationships and seeing the kids succeed.” - Blossom