My Journey. My Mission. My 5K

By Rosanna Maya, Fundraising Manager, SOS Children’s Villages Florida

When I think about my journey with SOS Children’s Villages Florida, I sometimes have a hard time believing how many chapters have unfolded since I first arrived here as a teenager.

I came to SOS in 2005, when I was 15 years old. I was the second oldest and only girl in a sibling group of four. My two younger brothers and I entered foster care together, and coming to SOS changed the direction of our lives.

Before SOS, I had become very good at hiding what was happening at home. I didn’t want people to notice that something was wrong. I didn’t want to explain. I didn’t want to feel different.

At SOS, I didn’t feel like I had to hide anymore.

For the first time, I felt safe enough to begin healing.

I remember waking up with my fists clenched. Even after I came to SOS, it took time for that to stop. But slowly, it happened less and less until eventually it stopped altogether. I think my body was finally beginning to understand what it felt like to be safe.

Having my brothers with me made an enormous difference, too. We had lost our home, our schools, our friends and everything familiar, so life wasn’t suddenly perfect. But I knew my brothers were safe. I watched them grow, improve in school and play outside with other children. I got my first job at Subway and would bring sandwiches home for them.

SOS became a positive pivot for our family.

LEARNING WHAT IT MEANS TO HAVE SOMEONE SHOW UP

I lived at SOS until I aged out at 18. I actually could have left earlier, but I didn’t feel ready to return home. SOS listened to me and allowed me to stay for those final months so I could graduate while continuing to live in a place where I felt safe.

After aging out, I had to find my way.

My road wasn’t perfect. I went to college for about two years and eventually dropped out. I made mistakes. I rebelled. But I also grew.

I met my husband, and we’ve now been married for 14 years. We have two beautiful children and a German Shepherd named Roksi.

One of the things I’m most proud of is being able to give my children some of the things I didn’t have growing up: stability, opportunities and the freedom to participate in activities simply because they’re kids.

I had experienced what stability looked like, and more importantly, what it felt like. I knew I wanted that for my children.

A big part of learning how to build that life came through SOS’s Next Steps program.

My life coach was the original life coach for Next Steps, and she was there for me in ways I didn’t always appreciate at 18. She helped me prepare for my first interview, get my first job, open my first savings account and CD, apply for college and scholarships, find my first apartment and navigate the many everyday decisions that come with becoming an adult.

She held me accountable.

At the time, I sometimes thought she was being too hands-on. Now that I’m older and a parent myself, I understand it differently.

She wasn’t trying to control me. She was doing what a parent does: checking on me, encouraging me, holding me accountable and helping me get back on track when I struggled.

That is what Next Steps continues to do today, only on a much larger scale. The program, which is funded in majority by The Jim Moran Foundation, The Frederick A. Delucca Foundation and the Carl Angus DeSantis Foundation, now serves more than 200 young adults, including young people who have experienced foster care but never lived at SOS.

Multiple life coaches provide individualized support, while classes and other resources help young adults build the practical skills they need to navigate adulthood.

I’ve had the unique opportunity to see that growth from both sides, as a young adult who received those services and now as an employee helping provide them.

THEN I CAME BACK

I didn’t return to SOS thinking I was beginning a career.

I needed flexibility so I could be there for my children while I studied programming. I reached out to SOS and asked if there was something part time I could do.

There was.

I came back as an administrative assistant for Next Steps and stayed for about two years.

Then things began to change.

I completed certificates in coding and programming and even started seriously considering joining the military. I studied hard for the ASVAB and did very well.

And somewhere along the way, I discovered something that still makes me laugh: geometry was actually easy.

Apparently, if I had paid attention in high school, I might have been pretty good at math.

But my path was about to take another turn.

SOMEONE SAW SOMETHING IN ME

Dawn Seay, SOS’s Chief Development Officer, heard me speak at an event as a former Next Steps participant.

She saw something in me that she believed could translate into Development and gave me an opportunity to work on the Steps for SOS 5K.

There is a big difference between believing you are capable of something and having someone else recognize that potential and give you the opportunity to prove it.

I took the opportunity and ran with it…literally and figuratively.

That first 5K raised approximately $140,000. But the fundraising total wasn’t the moment that made everything click for me.

It happened on race day.

An accident nearby created a major traffic backup, so we delayed the start to give people more time to arrive. I had walked away from the starting line toward one of the pavilions when the countdown began.

I turned around.

The entire street was filled with people.

It looked like a wave.

Nearly a thousand people were walking and running in support of SOS.

I remember thinking, All of these people showed up for our kids.

That’s when I understood what fundraising could really be.

It’s not simply about reaching a dollar amount. It’s about bringing people together around something that matters.

FINDING MY PLACE IN DEVELOPMENT

As I became more involved in Development, I realized I had found a team that fit me.

I’m naturally someone who likes to take charge, solve problems and get things done. And suddenly I was surrounded by women who did exactly that.

They don’t simply accept “no.” If something doesn’t work, they pivot. They figure out another way. Then they keep going.

That was meaningful to me because I wasn’t raised with that example. Growing up, I was taught, directly and indirectly, that women had certain roles.

Being surrounded by women who were leading, creating, fundraising, problem-solving and making things happen showed me another version of what being a woman could look like.

I realized that version fit me.

Over time, my relationship with Dawn and the Development team grew into a true partnership. Dawn supported me, helped remove roadblocks and trusted me with greater responsibility. Her belief in me changed the direction of my career, and, in turn, changed what I believe is possible for my family.

Today, I’m saving toward purchasing my first home.

That’s something I’m extremely proud of.

And I never expected that a part-time job I initially took for flexibility would lead me here.

NOW I’M THE FUNDRAISING MANAGER

Today, I’m proud to serve as the Fundraising Manager at SOS Children’s Villages Florida.

And in many ways, I feel like I’ve come full circle.

I was once a child who needed people to show up for me.

Now, I’m helping bring people together to show up for other children and young adults.

That’s why I’m especially excited about the 2027 Steps for SOS 5K, taking place Saturday, April 3, at Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek.

My goal is simple: I want to create that wave again, and make it even bigger.

I want more people to know SOS. I want them to understand the children and young adults we serve.

And I want them to feel connected to the reason they are walking, running, sponsoring, fundraising or simply showing up.

Because there is something incredibly powerful about seeing hundreds of people physically show up for children and young adults who may have once felt like nobody was showing up for them.

I know what that feeling is like.

I also know what it feels like when someone does show up.

SOS showed up for me.

People in this community showed up for me and for my brothers.

And somewhere along the way, I learned how to show up for myself.

Now I get to help create those opportunities for someone else.

For me, healing, hope and home aren’t simply words in a mission statement. I’ve lived them.

SOS gave me a place to begin healing. It gave me hope and showed me that my life could be bigger than what I had known. It gave me a home and a community that didn’t disappear when I turned 18.

Today, I’m raising my own children differently. I’m building a career I love. I’m working toward purchasing my first home.

And I’m helping raise the resources that allow SOS to provide children and young adults with the same kinds of opportunities that changed my life.

I was once the child receiving the healing, hope and home.

Now I get to help create it for someone else.