The stories we report here are actual client cases. They are the children, parents, couples and individuals we work with every day. For most, their names, photos and some details have been changed to protect their privacy. But some of our clients are strong advocates for the services they received, and tell their stories through video. All offer their stories so you can better understand how lives can be changed when someone in need asks for our help.
As a child, Jim struggled with a number of health issues that many other kids his age did not experience. When he was seven, doctors diagnosed him with moderate intellectual disabilities and a seizure disorder. As a result, Jim struggled to make friends and always felt like an outcast. At 15, he wound up falling in with the wrong crowd, who introduced Jim to a life of crime and drugs, and his life quickly spiraled downward.
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When Savannah was a young girl, she grew up in a home environment that was different from her friends’. Her father was not a part of her life. She was fortunate to have a caring mother and grandparents, with whom she lived and with whom she built healthy relationships. After she started school, she struggled in many of her classes and wondered why she felt different from other people.
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As a child, Liz struggled to find a place to feel like she belonged. She was removed from her parents’ home at the age of eight and grew up in the foster care system. She ran away from every foster home they placed her in because she felt no one cared enough to listen to what she needed. It would be years before she finally had a family to call her own.
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Bojana grew up in Serbia, where she led a happy life with her parents and her siblings. When Bojana was in her early twenties, she met a man who was stationed in Serbia with the United States Army. They soon fell in love, and less than three months after meeting, he convinced her to move back to America with him. Bojana agreed, leaving her family and friends behind to start a new life in the United States.
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