How do you know when you’ve lost something you’ve never had? That’s the question we asked at the beginning of *Shelly and *Charlie’s story.

Imagine with us that you’re watching the *Shelly and Charlie movie.

The movie starts when Shelly and Charlie are born into despair with little or no hope for having a successful life.

Shelly was removed from her parents as an infant for her safety. A few years later, her brother Charlie was born. He was removed from the home for his safety too.

More than 50% of children that come into foster care each year, just like Shelly and Charlie, are under the age of 5.

A foster care experience at such a young age can affect the rest of a young child’s life. It’s the time when foundations for learning, behavior, relationships, and well-being are formed.

Here’s where partnering with donors like you can help children and families find hope.

We teamed up with Shelly and Charlie’s foster parents to do everything possible to reunite them with their biological parents.

Although by now the children were older, mom and dad sill couldn’t complete their case plan for reunification. When reunification didn’t work out, we joined forces with the foster parents and advocated fiercely for permanent placement with the children’s grandparents.

Shelly and Charlie’s foster parents knew they needed more than just a safe place to stay.

They needed something they’d never had. They needed stability, they needed a place where they could develop trust, and they needed hope. They needed a home.

Everyone made the extra effort to ensure that Shelly and Charlie visited their grandparents frequently. Grandma and grandad worked hard to pass their home study, and after a year of visits, it was time for Shelly and Charlie to go home.

The next scene is where you may need tissues.

By now, the children had been in foster care for a while. So, when their foster parents said they were moving, they complied like they always do.

But this time was different. Home and hope were just around the corner.

As they were driving, they suddenly recognized being in grandma and granddad’s neighborhood.

Then their foster parents asked them, “Where should we turn?”

“I don’t know where we’re going,” said Shelly. “But we should take a right. This is grandma’s house.” She excitedly announced, “We took you to grandma’s house!”

“Guess what?” her foster mom asked. She couldn’t contain her excitement any longer. “You’re not going to another foster home; you’re moving in with your grandma and grandad for good!”

Charlie was overwhelmed with so much joy he couldn’t speak.

Tears of hope began streaming down his face. Shelly became giddy with laughter.

In that one moment, years of hopelessness began to fade away.

Charlie’s tears released a lifetime of anxiety. In the next moment he was out of the car giving the biggest hug to his grandad.

Both Shelly and Charlie were finally home. That’s the happy ending we were hoping for.