Helping Families Find Solutions to Stay Together

June 12, 2014

Sean and Keri are brother and sister who came to YFT late in 2013. The family circumstances were dire. They were homeless and their father was sick. Their story is common as people fall through the cracks in American society and one trouble builds on another until the situation becomes a crisis.

Keri explains “We were homeless, all we really had was each other. My dad was really sick. He was in and out of the hospital a lot.” When Keri arrived at YFT, she was six months pregnant. She went into the “Mommy and Me” program where she could continue to go to school, receive the prenatal health care she needed and learn the parenting skills she would need to care for her baby. Winter was fast approaching and shelter was a concern for this 16 year old girl.

Leaving her parents suddenly and coming to YFT was tough. Keri struggled at first. “It was really hard. All I wanted to do was cry and stay in my room. But then it popped in my head that I had to be strong and think about the baby now. It was hard, it hurt. I had never been away from my parents before. I didn’t really care where we were as long as I was with my mom and dad.

“I wasn’t ready to be a mom. I was 16 and I had my whole life ahead of me. But then I started feeling my baby move. I feel like the Mommy and Me program has taught me a lot and the day that I gave birth to my son that’s when I was ready to be a mom and reality hit me – that he’s mine. He has made me want to focus on school, made me want to go somewhere in life.”

In the meantime, Sean went to stay with his older sister. “This was supposed to help me, it was supposed to be like a new start, but really I was worse. I was hanging out with older people, doing thingsI  shouldn’t have been doing, they let me do whatever I wanted. It was a worse situation than before. “
A couple months later, Sean came to YFT, too. He was struggling in school, angry and troubled.

Sean has come a long way not only personally but academically. “School has changed at YFT. My grades have gone up and I have the highest grade point average I have ever had at YFT. Even though I kept getting into trouble before, I had okay grades. But now, I have great grades! The classes are smaller, it is easier to focus, and the teachers are there to help when me when I need it. It’s just that simple.”

Keri says all she cared about was boys and paid no attention to her school work. Things are different after going to school at YFT. She says, “I came to YFT and my GPA went up. I have almost a 4.0. I have great grades. I came as a sophomore and am leaving as a senior. I wouldn’t be able to do it without YFT.”

Keri and Sean are leaving YFT with new life skills, back on track with their education, some new possessions and knowing YFT is always here for them. Aside from the immediate things that YFT does for children, there are things that last a lifetime. So many kids return to YFT as adults and tell us that the love and care they received at YFT gave them a foundation of strength to draw on as they grew up. Even though some temporarily lose their way, they have known what it is to be loved and cared for and they have that wellspring to draw on when times get tough.

Sean says he will leave YFT with many nice things including shoes, nicer clothes and his first watch. Keri nudges her brother to remind him of his new suit. Sean says he has never worn a suit before and Keri smiles and says, “He looks good in it too!” It’s a tender moment that provides insight into how little these kids have had in the way of basic possessions in their lives.

After briefly touching on the material things, Sean says he will leave with many friends. Keri says she will leave with many strengths and parenting skills she has learned, and the important relationships she has made with staff and other students. She also says she will leave with things. Keri says
“I will leave here with stuff, and also know if I need someone to talk to, I can call YFT anytime for help. The biggest thing I am leaving
here with is my son.”

The family is closer than they have ever been before. Keri says, “We loved each other but things went too far. We screamed and fought. But now when we get upset we give each other a chance to walk away and then we talk.”

Sean says, “We used to fight like cats and dogs. But, it’s totallydifferent now.” He smiles and says, “There are lots of hugs and kisses.”

Keri agrees, “Now we are brother and sister like we used to be. We go outside together, sit on the porch and do things together.” The kids’ faces are filled with hope as they talk about the future. Keri tells, “When we went to court to be able to go back home, I just looked at my dad and I could see how happy he was. He looked at me and my baby, Patrick and I just knew that God was with us and things were going to keep going forward. We have come a long way and it’s brought our family really close.”

Sean’s eyes are bright as he says, “Now me and my sister, my granddad, my dad, my mom and Patrick are all going to be one big happy family.” When you look into their beautiful faces and see their open, loving hearts, you can be sure that the work we are doing at YFT truly saves and changes lives.