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Siblings Stay together in our emergency shelter
From the outside, 17-year-old Amber and her 8- and 6-year-old siblings, Keisha and Donte, appear to be happy kids enjoying themselves and smiling with one another. What you cannot see from the outside is the struggle they have been through. Read More>>
Jenny Escapes the Violence
Jenny was eight months pregnant. She was tired that night. She had
just put her two-year old daughter to bed, but she knew she had
a long night ahead.
The abuse started pretty much as usual. This time
it was about the way she cooked dinner. It was something that would
be overlooked in most homes—but Bill, her husband, never overlooked
such “mistakes” in their home. By midnight a chair was
broken, the kitchen was torn apart and Jenny had several new bruises.
She kept turning away from Bill to protect her unborn baby, but
that just made him angrier. Now she was really scared.
Read More »
Watch Jenny's
Video »
Sonny's Mom Grows Up
Sonny was two years old when his little sister Alicia was born.
His mom was only 15. Sonny’s mom, Leah, had a rough life.
Abandoned by her parents, raped when she was twelve, and abused
by the aunt who was her guardian, she fought back by getting pregnant
again. Finally the abuse from her aunt was too hard to bear, and
she called Child Protective Services herself . . .
Read more »
George Makes Some Friends
The nice young woman next door was worried about her 77 year-old
neighbor, George. She had seen him in the hall and he looked terrible—no
shoes, dirty shirt inside out. He had been wearing the same clothes
for a week, and she suspected he was sleeping in them. Read
More »
Roberta Finds a Friend at Solomon Girl Center
Roberta threw a tantrum when she joined our Solomon Girls Center
at the end of the school year. She had just moved into town with
her mom—leaving her home and father and friends behind—and
she was angry. She cried often, was nasty to the other girls, and
refused to pay attention to the teachers. This little girl needed
help Read more »
Emerson Says Thanks
Since it had been more than a year since Emerson had visited
our office, his unannounced visit took his former therapist quite
by surprise. Read
More »
stephanie's family seeks a
safe haven
Stephanie was like a lot of the women in our Domestic Abuse
program. Aft first her husband just called her names—made
fun of her ankles or her teeth. Before long, the abuse turned physical—pinching,
then an occasional slap. Then a fist in the face. And then
the apology. “I’m sorry.” He’d whisper.
He’d kiss her forehead and tell her he loved her. And then
he would beat her again. Read
More »
Nick Learns to Trust others
. . . and himself
Nick’s long hair, black T-shirt and baggy jeans put
a lot of people on guard — they wondered if he was trouble.
The teenager’s mouth and manner usually confirmed their suspicions.
Nick had attitude for everyone, save for a small gang of friends
from his “crowd.” He ranted at his mother; he blew his
teachers off — sometimes with a smirk, sometimes with a yell.
He was failing every class. He criticized and mocked his fellow
students. His conversations were vulgar. He smoked marijuana daily.
Nick disrespected everyone, including himself. He was trouble. Read
More »
The Banisters Stay Together
Like all automobile accidents, Margie Banister’s was
entirely unexpected. Her day began like most others. She awoke early
to fold a basket of laundry, enjoy a few minutes of quiet and cook
breakfast for her children. Read
More »
Beth Heals. . . and then leads
At only 29 years old, Beth’s life was more than heading in
the wrong direction – it was out of control. Since the
first day she used methamphetamine, Beth began to lose herself.
In a short time, her desire to use forced her to sacrifice all the
things she had held dear. Her marriage suffered — and then
failed. Her relationships with her parents and her children were
strained,
as they tried to understand why Beth had changed so much,
and so quickly. Read
More »
SAFE Program Helps Jerry Change
Violent Behavior (Schools And Family Enrichment)
Six year-old Jerry was having behavioral problems in his kindergarten
class at an Omaha school. He often hit other children and had problems
accepting “no” as an answer. He had similar behavioral
issues at home. Read More
»
GEMS Program Saved Man’s
Life (Gendler Emergency Medication Service)
On June 19, I helped a gentleman through the GEMS program that was
suffering from COPD, a chronic lung condition. Literally, he could
barely breathe while he was in my office. Read
More »
Andy is Optimistic Again
(Therapeutic School)
At age 11, Andy had given up on school. Classmates teased and bullied
him. At home, he verbally and physically fought with his siblings.
He was withdrawn and angry most of the time. He had a feeling of
hopelessness about his future; and to him, aggression against himself
and others was the answer. Read
More »
Patrick Gets a Home (Pottawattamie
County Homeless Link)
Ruth and her 15 year-old nephew Patrick had been living in their
car for more than a year. They traveled the country with no destination
and no stability. Ruth’s health was poor, including high
blood pressure, poor vision, poor circulation, and a weak leg from
diabetes. Patrick was fed up with the lifestyle, and he had become
verbally abusive to Ruth, who suffered from a bipolar depressive
disorder. Read More »
Sandy Sleeps Easier Now (Domestic
Abuse Program)
Six year-old Sandy woke with a start and sat up in bed when she
heard the crash. Her parents were fighting in the kitchen, and by
the sound, she knew her father had just thrown the big kettle at
her mom. Read More »
Becky Finds A Home
It was a bright, white spotlight that woke eighteen-year-old Becky
from a restless sleep. Someone was tapping on her window. A rush
of fear coursed through her body, but then she heard who it was:
“Wake up! Police!” She rolled the window of her car
down a few inches and talked to the officer. Read
More »
Terry Turns His Life Around
(Youth Substance Abuse Treatment)
I would like to share my story of desperation and hope. I am a single
mother, raising a teenage boy. When school started last year my
son Terry had just returned from Oklahoma and most of the “good”
kids were playing sports. This left Terry to hang with the “not
so good” kids. Read
More »
Donna Makes a New Life
My wonderful husband Carl died just two weeks before our fortieth
anniversary. He was only 66. I felt so cheated – we had been
making plans for a wonderful party with all our family and friends.
It was a heart attack – totally unexpected. I just felt like
my whole world came crashing down. Read
More »
Three Small Children Share
Their “Firsts” at Our Children’s Emergency Shelter
It was the middle of a summer night when the police answered a call
from a neighbor and found three small, thin children alone in the
yard outside their home. The youngest child, only a year old, was
still crawling, and her 4-year old sister, Anna, her face worn by
stress, was keeping her away from a broken glass bottle. These three
little children were taking care of each other — outside —
in the middle of the night! Read
More »
HALO Receives
National Recognition
The Heartland Family Service HALO
program (Healthy Alternatives for Little Ones) in Omaha received
national recognition from the Alliance for Children and Families
through its 2003 Robert Rice Innovative Program Award. Read
More »
Three Abandoned Children Get
a New Start
No one new for sure how much time had passed when they were found.
Three babies, huddled in the back seat of car with no driver, no
mother, no one around. It was purely by accident that someone saw
them at all – not one of them had made a sound, as if they
learned to stop waiting for someone tNo one knew for sure how much
time had passed o arrive. All of them lay still, nearly naked in
dirty diapers and a blanket. All of them quiet - even the youngest
at five weeks old, knew there was no one to answer his cry. His
sisters – 18 months and three years – silent, sitting
hopelessly quiet, almost resigned to being abandoned.Read
More »
You can make a difference in the lives of people
who are less fortunate than yourself:
When you look at everything that’s going wrong
in our community, it’s easy to feel helpless. Like there’s
nothing that one person can do that will amount to any good. But
there is. When you support an agency you can trust, an agency that
is already doing so much good in the community, it makes a true
difference. You make a difference.
Consider a donation
Look into our Donor Opportunities
Read more client stories
Have a question? Contact
us
(Note: Please understand that our client’s
stories are deeply personal. The names and photos have been
changed to protect their identity.)
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