Monique, 20 years old, VA | 1 DAY WAITING

Wish submitted by:

Monique keeps a small jar on her windowsill, where she drops a coin after getting through a hard day, a private tradition that started when she first moved out on her own and wasn’t sure she’d make it. She spent most of her childhood in foster care and aged out with a trash bag of belongings, a part-time job, and no one to call when the rent was due. Monique works the early shift at a pharmacy and spends her evenings in a dental assistant program, determined to build a career with steady hours and a paycheck she can count on. She’s resourceful and quick to laugh. She rarely asks for help, because she’s learned that asking doesn’t always lead anywhere, but she lights up when someone shows her they’re paying attention. Monique has had to be her own safety net for most of her life, and she deserves a community that finally holds the net for her.

After early shifts at the pharmacy and long evenings in her dental assistant classes, Monique rarely gets a moment that's only hers, and a pair of books she’s been longing to read would be a small, joyful escape she's earned. Stories have always been a place she could go when the world felt heavy, and having the first two volumes of a series she’s excited about would give her something wonderful to look forward to at the end of a long day. For a young woman who has spent years being her own safety net and rarely asks for anything, a gift that is purely for delight, with no practical purpose except joy, is a rare and meaningful gesture.