Shannon and her 4 year old son came to the shelter for Domestic Violence with just the clothes on their backs and a few supplies.

After years of suffering physical, emotional, and economic abuse at the hands of her live-in boyfriend, Shannon found she could no longer stay in her situation and protect her son.  

Little Benjamin didn’t know why the authorities took him from his mother’s arms to those of a stranger. He didn’t understand the danger that his mother’s filthy house filled with bugs and rotting food placed him in. Benjamin was only 6 months old when he and his two older siblings were taken by authorities and placed in a foster home.

After just 6 short months of mom working with the courts and her Children’s Foundation of Mid-America Case Manager, she got her life back in order. When she was on her way to interview for a third part time job, our case manager called her to tell her that her children would be home in time for a birthday party for little Benjamin. 

The foster mom was awesome, working with the courts to be sure the children got back home where they were loved. In fact, foster mom attended that birthday party for Benjamin – it was a happy day.

When Trisha came to our care, her most evident characteristic was her rebellious attitude.  She was very strong willed and was determined to not follow our program.  Trisha fought the system every step of the way. 

However, patience and persistence paid off and Trisha made a remarkable change.  The same strong will that propelled her rebelliousness became the vehicle that brought success. 

Cameron and his brother got up alone every morning and this morning was no different. Their parents kept themselves locked in their basement bedroom where they smoke meth. Cameron's father was plagued with mental illness, but refused to take the medication. Instead he chose illegal drugs to treat his illness.

Cameron's family had been almost idyllic until his father became ill. The stress became too much for his mother and she began to abuse drugs as well. The children were neglected; the house was filthy and often there was little food.