This presentation shares current findings, recommendations, and strategies for authentic partnerships steeped in theory from an oral history research project looking at the long-term impact of a community-university civic engagement partnership. The community participants were involved in a five-year after-school service-learning, Participatory Action Research, and civic engagement program, twenty-two years ago. Last year they reunited, shared their stories, and the impact on their lives. They said that their participation saved their lives. It guided their future, lifted their sense of self, amplified their voice, and taught them skills for social change. It was a source of hope, self-awareness, and action. The presentation includes both a former University student and a community partner who were involved in the original partnership.