SERVING OTHERS

When people ask why we started MyFriend, my mind always goes back to two remarkable women: my grandmother and my great-aunt.

​

They were women of faith who showed me what it meant to love others through the way they lived. They were generous with what they had, whether it was their time, their resources, or simply themselves. Family, friends, neighbors, and even strangers were met with the same willingness to help. They loved selflessly, served quietly, and put others before themselves.

​

In the final chapters of their lives, my grandmother lived in assisted living and my great-aunt in memory care. My mom and I, along with other family members, visited often, and I will always be grateful for the time we had with them. But even with a family who loved them and showed up, there were still hours and days between those visits. There was a loneliness that could sometimes linger in those spaces.

​

And as we spent more time in these senior living communities, we began to notice the people around them.

There were residents whose families lived far away or whose circumstances made regular visits difficult. And for some residents, they went long stretches of time without a visitor at all.​

​

There is a reality to aging that I don't think we fully understood until we witnessed it ourselves. Sometimes receiving the care you need means leaving the home and community you know. Adult children have jobs, children, responsibilities, and lives of their own. Families can be separated by hundreds or thousands of miles. And some older adults simply don't have family left.

​

None of that means they aren't deeply loved. But it can mean they are deeply lonely.

​

That reality stayed with my mom and me long after my grandmother and great-aunt passed away. We couldn't unsee it, and we couldn't shake the heaviness we felt for the seniors and families experiencing it every day.

​

At the same time, we were watching the world around us become more connected through technology and, somehow, more disconnected from one another. So much can now happen through a screen, but there are things technology simply cannot replace: sitting across from someone, listening to their stories, laughing together, holding a hand, praying beside them, or simply being present.

​

Eventually, what felt like a heaviness on our hearts began to feel like a calling.

​

My mom and I both felt God asking us to do something with what He had allowed us to see—to step away from the career paths we knew, trust Him with what came next, and serve older adults who needed meaningful human connection.

​

So, in the summer of 2025, we launched MyFriend.

​

We came into this from completely unrelated professional backgrounds. There was—and still is—so much for us to learn. Building a nonprofit from the ground up while stepping into the very real and complicated world of aging has been humbling and eye-opening.

​

There are moments that are incredibly difficult. Witnessing the loneliness some seniors experience can be crushing. So can seeing the weight carried by sons, daughters, spouses, siblings, and other loved ones who are doing everything they can while knowing they can't always be there.

​

But alongside that heaviness has been an incredible amount of joy.

​

There have been conversations I won't forget. Stories that have made us laugh. Hands held. Prayers shared. Birthdays celebrated. Friendships formed with people we never would have known had God not led us down this path.

​

And somewhere along the way, I realized that while we started MyFriend hoping to bring something meaningful into the lives of older adults, they have brought something equally meaningful into ours.​ I am overwhelmed with gratitude that God has entrusted us with this mission.

​

And on a deeply personal level, I cannot imagine a more meaningful way to honor my grandmother and great-aunt. The very women whose final years opened our eyes to this need were also women who spent their lives showing us how to respond to it: love people, serve them, give generously, and put others before yourself.

​

Perhaps one of God's greatest gifts in all of this is that I get to carry that legacy forward alongside my mom.

She is my partner in this mission, but she is also a reflection of the women who came before us—a woman of deep faith, sacrificial love, and a genuine servant's heart. Getting to build MyFriend with her, learn alongside her, serve alongside her, and witness the way she loves the people God places in front of us is something I will never take for granted.

​

Three generations of women have shaped this story.​ Two helped us understand why it needed to begin. One is standing beside me as we continue writing it.

​

And maybe that's what I've come to understand about friendship through all of this: it doesn't always require grand gestures. Sometimes it simply means noticing someone. Making room for them. Sitting down beside them. Listening to their story. And choosing to show up again.

​

My grandmother and great-aunt spent their lives showing us what it means to love people well.​ My hope is that through MyFriend, we can keep showing up—and help others do the same.

​

sarah

Co-Founder​​