The Children

All children are a precious gift from God and deserve loving families. We serve children from birth through age 21. Children in our programs have experienced some form of abuse or neglect and due to that, most have emotional and behavioral issues. Even so, these children show tremendous perseverance, love and forgiveness. Below you will find some powerful stories, pictures and testimonials. Please check back for updated information.

Brittany

Brittany came into the care of a Grandfather Home Foster Family after being abandoned by her mother at a homeless shelter. She has worked hard to overcome her own drug abuse and academic failures that were a result of her lifestyle with her mother. Today, she is a thriving Sophomore at Appalachian State University.

Please view the below video of Brittany receiving a new car!

Click here to watch a video of Brittany’s start to her new life

Bethany

Bethany was sexually abused from the time she was two until about age six by her biological dad as well as exposed to domestic violence between her mom and dad. Bethany was very withdrawn, very angry and sad. At age 16, she was out of control, skipping school with her boyfriends, sexually active, verbally abusive and physically aggressive toward her mother. Thus, her mom and stepfather were not able to care for her anymore.

She was admitted to a therapeutic foster home last fall. Bethany started feeling safe. Quickly, she started disclosing things to her foster mom and her case worker. Sadly, she was convinced that she was crazy, useless and worthless.

Today, Bethany is doing very well. She is home schooled and is working hard and getting tutoring for math. She is attending two classes through a local home school association with other youth her age and this semester is participating in a Choral Ensemble Group that consists of 30 homeschoolers. Bethany also has been taking ballroom dancing for the past several months which she thoroughly enjoys, especially dancing in the beautiful dresses.

Bethany is truly amazing - she is a survivor. Her foster parents saw that she needed love, guidance and nurturing. They worked very hard on identifying and building on Bethany’s strength and have opened a different world for Bethany, a world where she is safe, useful and priceless.

Kourtney

Kourtney was placed with a Grandfather Home foster family in 2005. Due to extreme neglect, she had severe medical and physical issues. Kourtney weighed twenty-two pounds at four years of age and had only gained two pounds in two years. She had parasites throughout her entire digestive track, vision, and hearing problems. Kourtney had tubes placed in her ears, her adenoids removed, and had seventeen teeth that needed immediate dental care. She also had major speech issues; she didn’t know how to speak and in fact had her own language. When a child’s environment is so neglectful, a child will invent his or her own language.

The family worked with a team of doctors over the next year. Kourtney’s hearing, vision, and speech drastically improved. Thanks to patience, love, and the assistance of a speech therapist, Kourtney was able to communicate her needs and wants to others.

Unfortunately, the state chose to place her with a maternal aunt after about a year of living with our foster family, even though her aunt was a known crack-cocaine dealer. During that time, Kourtney was sexually and physically abused. During a drug bust, she was removed from the home and taken back to the Department of Social Services (DSS). In May 2008, the same foster family picked Kourtney up at DSS. She ran to her foster parents hugged them and said, “What took you so long to get me?”

Kourtney’s academics had suffered due to missing a lot of school. As a result, she had failed first grade, didn’t know how to read, and was struggling socially. The family worked with her over the summer and by the beginning of the next school year, she was reading on her own.

Currently, Kourtney is in second grade and reading on a fourth grade level. She is on the A/B honor roll and is making some progress socially. Kourtney suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and continues to have nightmares and flashbacks. In December 2009, Kourtney, now Elizabeth, was adopted by the family! Elizabeth is very happy to be in her forever home, and the family is honored to have Elizabeth join their family!