In 2013, seventeen-year-old Emma Knight's dearest friend committed suicide. The news left her broken-hearted and desperate for someone to talk to. She questioned everything she believed in, especially her faith in God. Emma found little help from her family; her mom’s work kept her away from the home and her brothers were emotionally distant. She tried turning to friends, but still felt very alone.
Emma says Streets Ministries saved her life.
At Streets she found the love she was looking for. They comforted her, cheered her, and have helped her deal with the daily struggle of living without her friend. Gradually, she began to believe in God again.
Emma is talkative and sarcastic; a self-described awkward person. She has wild, curly hair, died orangey-red, and normally wears glasses, though I chose to draw her without them because they camouflaged her beautiful cheek bones. She volunteers with kids and wants to be second-grade teacher. She’s been going to Streets since before they had a building, and often refers to members of the staff as “mom.”
Emma's portrait is part of a series of ten that I'm doing of Streets kids, called Faces of Streets. My mission is to honor these kids through my art and encourage people to support Streets. You can read more about the project and see the other portraits here.