Mentoring A touch From Above

MATFA's mission is to support and guide the youth in our community who want to change and make the most of their lives. That mission is described in four key points: Guiding our Youth; Touching Lives; Restoring Our Future; and Forgiving the Past. Melanie Washington founded Mentoring, A Touch From Above (MATFA)
after the murder of her son Damon on December 25, 1995 by a boy he had befriended. She learned that Damon's killer was a repeat offender and started MATFA as a resource center for young people who were in a gang or at risk of becoming a gang member. She started a mentoring program working with youth in the
California Youth Authority called Reclaimed For Purpose (RFP), designed to stop the revolving door of youth offender recidivism. Among the young people she mentored was the man who killed her son. Through 2019 (the last year MATFA was in full operation), the recidivism rate for juvenile offenders in MATFA's program was 8%, while the system wide average was 55-70%. We were serving 150 young people before COVID ended our access. The City of Long Beach recognized the value of our work by granting MATFA $10,000 in COVID relief funds in recognition of the harm the pandemic and resulting shutdown did to our work.

Testimonials

We have enjoyed a collaboration with the Leadership Class at Cal State University Long Beach for more than 15 years. The Director of the Student Leadership Program, Janey Roeder, wrote a letter of support that said, in part "For the past 16 years, Melanie Washington has joined us in the fall to share her powerful story of forgiveness with the students. Every cohort has been deeply moved by Melanie's capacity for compassion and forgiveness, especially when they learn that she has even forgiven the man who murdered her son. Melanie's example has inspired several cohorts to volunteer with MATFA within the prison system. One group of students taught the residents how to apply for college and/or jobs when they transition out of the prison system. Melanie leads by example. Her positive energy, passion for making a positive difference and an incredible ability to rise above holding resentments, has inspired hundreds of CSULB students to lead with love, compassion and a heart of forgiveness. I believe investing in MATFA and its founder, Melanie Washington, is an investment that earns dividends by inspiring young people who have been caught up in the prison system to turn their lives around and lead with an ethical compass upon their release. By partnering with MATFA, you will enable them to serve even more people and to expand its current program offerings"