*Mom Kiandra’s apartment didn’t have all the amenities. What it did have was a sober mom. A mom who worked hard to kick her addiction and learned how to be a good parent. That’s where the story takes a turn for reunification, in Part 3 of *Baby Chandra’s journey.
The journey to reunification, and the role everyone played in getting *Baby Chandra home, is the heart and soul of the programs and services we wrap around families.
The journey started with finding the right foster home for *Baby Chandra. We knew the special circumstances of *Baby Chandra’s birth required a foster home with exceptional patience. We were so grateful for *Marie and *Sydney. They were a nontraditional foster family – a mom and daughter team – and *Marie was a medical professional.
Their patience in nursing *Baby Chandra to health made a huge difference in how she not only survived the circumstances of her birth, but 17 months later she was thriving. *Baby Chandra’s birth trauma caused delayed communication skills, and her foster family worked diligently to help her learn to speak and even taught her baby sign language!
*Mom Kiandra, after a few relapses, buckled down and did her part. She overcame transportation obstacles to take every drug test, make every court appearance, meet every appointment with her case managers, attend parenting classes, and more.
After nearly a year and a half, *Mom Kiandra was finally ready to take *Baby Chandra home.
It was the best gift for baby, for mom, and for foster family who worked so hard to make sure the critical connection between mom and baby was the best it could be throughout her stay in foster care.
It was the best gift for the caseworkers who coached and guided mom through completing her case plan. And it was the best gift for everyone in our community who cares about the well-being of children, and that includes you.
*Baby Chandra is one of 10,000 children we served this year with critical, life-saving services like Foster Care, Adoption, and Prevention and Diversion programs and it’s where your year-end gift can do good.