Throughout Ashlyn’s entire life, she encountered many difficult and painful challenges. She was born into a home situation of mental illness and domestic violence. Ashlyn’s mother left when she was only three years old and Ashlyn was raised by her father who did little to nurture her and more to nurture his gambling habit. “I spent many nights locked in the car in the casino parking lot as a child”. Her mother would enter her life and then leave again repeatedly and by age 11, Ashlyn was hanging with the wrong crowd, using drugs and running away from group homes and homeless shelters where she would stay with her mom.

Not long ago, Brendan was a young man who had seen a very difficult life.  He was flat broke and living in his car after yet another argument with his mother.  His relationship with her had always been strained and that caused Brendan to move in and out of foster care.  His life was always challenging and lacking in the love and support that most youth his age experience.  At this particular moment in time, Brendan felt his life was falling apart and he had had enough.  He was in a very dark place and was contemplating the worst when he was introduced to Voices For Children Foundation.

George entered foster care after being removed from his home with his older sister.  He was six years old and did not understand what was going on.  When he inquired, to the officer who removed him, he was told they would only be going for a ride in the car and that he would see his mom again very soon.  It would take over 20 years before George saw his mother again.

Throughout all of Isriel’s childhood, his mother struggled with raising her children. His grandmother Eleanor sacrificed everything to care for him and his six brothers. But sadly, she passed away when he was nine and Isriel began his journey through foster care.

As do most children, he felt afraid and without anyone to rely on. He was living at a children’s shelter when he met Voices’ President & CEO, who would go out of his way to make Isriel feel special.

Laquanda was removed from her home at the age of eight due to abuse. Although she was removed from a dangerous environment, the damaging effects lingered long after. She bounced around from home to home, constantly rejected by caregivers due to difficult behavior. The rejection only deepened the hurt and each time, the behavior grew worse. It seemed that no one would take the time to understand that she was suffering from mental health issues and unfortunately, Laquanda remained in the foster care system until she aged out at 18.

Shadae’s experience in foster care was brief but the circumstances that brought her there were difficult and created a lasting impact in her life.  While her mother was always present, they nonetheless struggled, bouncing around from homeless shelter to shelter or friend’s and relative’s homes.  She was finally put into foster care just three months shy of her 18^th birthday so she quickly aged out and right away had to fend for herself.  It wasn’t long before she herself would become a mom to baby London, now six months old.

Sara, Carla, and Aaron came into foster care after Carla was born premature and drug-addicted.  She was pronounced dead at birth but this “miracle baby” survived and fortunately, their great aunt Mercy was able to take the kids until their mother, Carolina, followed through with her case plan and was able to reunite with the children.  But the case came to foster care again when baby Barby was born after mom went into early labor after being forced to use cocaine by the abusive father of the child.  Once again, Mercy was not going to let the children go to strangers, so she took the children in and supported her niece who finally got the treatment she needed.

Brothers Kenny (12) and Bob (13) were removed from their home after an aunt reported their parents to DCF for Domestic Violence in the home. Luckily, they were able to be adopted by their grandmother Tina who has been doing an excellent job raising them to be “good young men” as Bob states. They both say Math is their favorite subject in school because they want to be entrepreneurs one day and need to know about money. Kenny however also has an interest in becoming a journalist and using his career to help people. They both love football and spending time with their friends.

Michelle is 13 years old and has been in foster care for three years.  Unfortunately, Michelle was removed due to abuse and has been living in a shelter ever since.  Michelle loves art and feels that it has been a powerful tool in her healing.  Recently, she participated in an art workshop hosted by Voices For Children in partnership with Dreams Hatchery Foundation called “How I See Myself”.  Here, individuals are asked to look in a mirror and draw and paint what they see or would like to see in themselves.  This exercise allows subjects to visualize their hopes and dreams for the future and translate those into a tangible, visible image.  “The first time I did the workshop it was difficult, but the second time was much easier and made an impression on me”.

Twins Margie and Carri (9), and their younger brother Will (7), came into DCF care after witnessing the brutal murder of their older sister by a family member while their parents slept in the other room.  Luckily, their aunt Kendra stepped up and took the children in to keep them from being placed in a foster home with strangers.  Kendra, who raised three children of her own, quickly learned the level of neglect the children had endured.  They lacked basic life skills such as how to feed and dress themselves which made getting ready for school a struggle and despite their ages, had serious delays in verbal communication, a sign that there was no one ensuring that the children were progressing at the pace that most children should.