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Discover Our Impact in the Community
Family Enrichment: Vivian's Story
Vivian, a new mom with her service dog, Gino.
Vivian is an outgoing young woman. Although she lives at home with her mother, she dreams of becoming independent and eventually having her own apartment. Vivian attends school and looks forward to having a career and a bright future.
Vivian’s life changed when she became pregnant. Vivian’s pregnancy was unexpected, and the pregnancy didn’t seem to fit with the life she had anticipated for herself. The thought of pregnancy and parenting frightened Vivian because she felt unprepared. She wasn’t sure of what she needed to do. She doubted her ability to parent her child. She thought to herself, “how am I going to provide for this baby and how am I going to take care of everyday needs?”
She knew right away that parenting would be challenging. There were so many questions to be answered.
As expected, there were people who told her she could not parent a child. They urged her to solely concentrate on her education. Some people tried to convince Vivian that having a baby would forever take away any chance of becoming independent.
Vivian wondered if they might be right. She struggled with the idea that “others” might know best. After all “others” had made most of her decisions her entire life. She wondered if she could stand up and make this important decision for herself.
Vivian’s heart began to tell her she could do it. After a prenatal visit at a community health clinic, Vivian was referred to Family Care Connection. At this point she was still unsure of her ability to parent. Vivian was invited to attend prenatal education classes. She attended all six of the classes and was very active in class. She asked questions and was a star participant. She brought her friend Gino with her to each class. Gino was extremely supportive of her.
As time grew closer to her expected due date, Vivian grew more and more frightened and uneasy about the prospect of being a new parent. The Family Care Connection caseworker began conducting private counseling sessions with Vivian in her home. The counselor, a licensed social worker, demonstrated new born care and safety using a doll. This innovative teaching style helped Vivian feel more confident in her abilities, showcasing her advanced tactile strengths. Vivian became more confident. Her friend Gino also attended her in-home visitations. Vivian’s mother was very supportive, and Daniel, the father of the unborn baby, started attending the in-home visitations too. With the assistance and encouragement of Family Care Connection, Vivian finally had a complete support system.
Vivian gave birth to a healthy baby girl. After baby Catherine was born, Daniel moved into the home to help care for her. Vivian and Daniel are visually impaired. Gino who remains by their side, is Vivian’s loyal, trained service dog. They now parent together using their sense of hearing and touch to take care of baby Catherine.
Positively impacted by the services that she and her family received, Vivian referred another visually impaired couple to Family Care Connection.
Vivian and Daniel continue to excel as new parents. Family Care Connection has continued to empower them as new parents with support services crucial for the first years of life of their precious baby. With support and growing self-confidence, they have chosen to parent their child together.
The clients' names and the name of her guide dog have been changed to observe confidentiality. This story is being shared with the consent of the clients.
Vivian’s life changed when she became pregnant. Vivian’s pregnancy was unexpected, and the pregnancy didn’t seem to fit with the life she had anticipated for herself. The thought of pregnancy and parenting frightened Vivian because she felt unprepared. She wasn’t sure of what she needed to do. She doubted her ability to parent her child. She thought to herself, “how am I going to provide for this baby and how am I going to take care of everyday needs?”
She knew right away that parenting would be challenging. There were so many questions to be answered.
- “Did she want to do it?”
- “How could she do it?”
- “Could someone else do it better?”
- “What would people think?”
- “Could she develop the skills needed to adequately parent a child?”
- “What does parenthood look like?”
As expected, there were people who told her she could not parent a child. They urged her to solely concentrate on her education. Some people tried to convince Vivian that having a baby would forever take away any chance of becoming independent.
Vivian wondered if they might be right. She struggled with the idea that “others” might know best. After all “others” had made most of her decisions her entire life. She wondered if she could stand up and make this important decision for herself.
Vivian’s heart began to tell her she could do it. After a prenatal visit at a community health clinic, Vivian was referred to Family Care Connection. At this point she was still unsure of her ability to parent. Vivian was invited to attend prenatal education classes. She attended all six of the classes and was very active in class. She asked questions and was a star participant. She brought her friend Gino with her to each class. Gino was extremely supportive of her.
As time grew closer to her expected due date, Vivian grew more and more frightened and uneasy about the prospect of being a new parent. The Family Care Connection caseworker began conducting private counseling sessions with Vivian in her home. The counselor, a licensed social worker, demonstrated new born care and safety using a doll. This innovative teaching style helped Vivian feel more confident in her abilities, showcasing her advanced tactile strengths. Vivian became more confident. Her friend Gino also attended her in-home visitations. Vivian’s mother was very supportive, and Daniel, the father of the unborn baby, started attending the in-home visitations too. With the assistance and encouragement of Family Care Connection, Vivian finally had a complete support system.
Vivian gave birth to a healthy baby girl. After baby Catherine was born, Daniel moved into the home to help care for her. Vivian and Daniel are visually impaired. Gino who remains by their side, is Vivian’s loyal, trained service dog. They now parent together using their sense of hearing and touch to take care of baby Catherine.
Positively impacted by the services that she and her family received, Vivian referred another visually impaired couple to Family Care Connection.
Vivian and Daniel continue to excel as new parents. Family Care Connection has continued to empower them as new parents with support services crucial for the first years of life of their precious baby. With support and growing self-confidence, they have chosen to parent their child together.
The clients' names and the name of her guide dog have been changed to observe confidentiality. This story is being shared with the consent of the clients.
Family Preservation: Christi's Story
Christi is a single mother of three children. She relocated to Dallas, TX from out of state. She did not have family, friends or an established support system in her new city.
After a series of unfortunate events, Christi found herself homeless on the streets of Dallas with three small children. On one of the coldest nights of the year, Christ shuffled from shelter to shelter with her children in tow, but they were all full to capacity.
Christi was referred to Family Care Connection. The Family Care Connection caseworker assigned to her toiled after hours to find shelter for Christi and her children. Family Care Connection raised emergency funds to find immediate shelter for Christi and her children in an area hotel.
After meeting her immediate need for housing, Family Care Connection then raised additional emergency funds to purchase transportation for Christi and her children to return home to her family. Thanks to the support of Family Care Connection and its community partners, Christi and her children were able to safely return home.
The clients' names have been changed to observe confidentiality. This story is being shared with the consent of the clients.
After a series of unfortunate events, Christi found herself homeless on the streets of Dallas with three small children. On one of the coldest nights of the year, Christ shuffled from shelter to shelter with her children in tow, but they were all full to capacity.
Christi was referred to Family Care Connection. The Family Care Connection caseworker assigned to her toiled after hours to find shelter for Christi and her children. Family Care Connection raised emergency funds to find immediate shelter for Christi and her children in an area hotel.
After meeting her immediate need for housing, Family Care Connection then raised additional emergency funds to purchase transportation for Christi and her children to return home to her family. Thanks to the support of Family Care Connection and its community partners, Christi and her children were able to safely return home.
The clients' names have been changed to observe confidentiality. This story is being shared with the consent of the clients.
Family Empowerment: Joann's Story
Joann is a 17 year old mother of two month old twins. Joann is a bright and determined young woman. Joanne lives with her ailing grandmother and mentally ill aunt. During her senior year of high school, every day was a struggle for Joann because she did not have a support system at home. Joann carried her books, baby gear and a carrier with a baby on each arm everyday onto the school bus.
Joann struggled to manage all of her responsibilities while she attended high school. Joann was referred to Family Care Connection. A caseworker from Family Care Connection assisted Joann with mentoring and resources during a crucial period of her life. With the stressors on Joann’s life, it’s safe to say that she could have easily dropped out of school or gone down the wrong path without professional support. Joann’s caseworker from Family Care Connection assisted Joann her entire senior year.
During the course of her mentorship from Family Care Connection, Joann began to make many improvements. She was given access to support services in the community, gained life skills, guidance with navigating parenthood as a teen and encouragement during difficult moments of life. A testament to her determination, Joann completed her high school studies. She developed a close relationship with her Family Care Connection caseworker. The caseworker proudly attended her high school graduation.
Joann’s lack of family support was evident the day of her graduation. The Family Care Connection caseworker was the only support person attending her special occasion. This is a day that Joann will always cherish forever. When she looked out into the audience, she saw her Family Care Connection caseworker rooting her on. When the graduation announcer called her name, her Family Care Connection caseworker shouted and cheered.
In a crucial moment, Joann received much needed support. Joann received the life skills and guidance that she needs to craft a life that will be fruitful for herself and her twins. Because of the intervention provided by Family Care Connection in Joann’s life, she did not have to seek validation or acceptance from the streets. She did not have to become a statistic or fall through the cracks. The intervention provided by Family Care Connection identified and nurtured the determination and aspiration deep inside of Joann and helped her to shine.
The clients' names have been changed to observe confidentiality. This story is being shared with the consent of the clients.
Joann struggled to manage all of her responsibilities while she attended high school. Joann was referred to Family Care Connection. A caseworker from Family Care Connection assisted Joann with mentoring and resources during a crucial period of her life. With the stressors on Joann’s life, it’s safe to say that she could have easily dropped out of school or gone down the wrong path without professional support. Joann’s caseworker from Family Care Connection assisted Joann her entire senior year.
During the course of her mentorship from Family Care Connection, Joann began to make many improvements. She was given access to support services in the community, gained life skills, guidance with navigating parenthood as a teen and encouragement during difficult moments of life. A testament to her determination, Joann completed her high school studies. She developed a close relationship with her Family Care Connection caseworker. The caseworker proudly attended her high school graduation.
Joann’s lack of family support was evident the day of her graduation. The Family Care Connection caseworker was the only support person attending her special occasion. This is a day that Joann will always cherish forever. When she looked out into the audience, she saw her Family Care Connection caseworker rooting her on. When the graduation announcer called her name, her Family Care Connection caseworker shouted and cheered.
In a crucial moment, Joann received much needed support. Joann received the life skills and guidance that she needs to craft a life that will be fruitful for herself and her twins. Because of the intervention provided by Family Care Connection in Joann’s life, she did not have to seek validation or acceptance from the streets. She did not have to become a statistic or fall through the cracks. The intervention provided by Family Care Connection identified and nurtured the determination and aspiration deep inside of Joann and helped her to shine.
The clients' names have been changed to observe confidentiality. This story is being shared with the consent of the clients.
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You Can Make a Direct Impact.
Your contributions help us go above and beyond to use innovative resources to assist special needs clients like Vivian. Your donations help us respond to emergency family crises like the one experienced by Christi. Your contributions help us provide continuous and comprehensive support to new parents with fragile or non-existent support systems like Joann's.
