When Lindy was a child, her mother got sick, and “everything changed,” said Lindy.
The trauma of that experience resurfaced recently when Lindy, a single mother of three, became sick. Lindy worried about who would care for Ati, Lianna, and Elias if she ended up in the hospital.
Though she didn’t want her sickness to force Arti, the oldest, to take on parental responsibilities, she began teaching him how to care for Lianna, 5, and Elias, 2. Ati did his best, but there is only so much a 14-year-old can do. As reality set in, Lindy shared her fear with Ati.
“You and your brother and sister may end up in foster care,” she told him.
Ati heard that “government foster care is pretty bad” from others. So he put more effort into helping his mom.
Then, one day, Ati’s history class began a project on philanthropy. The class was broken up into groups, given information about nonprofits, and asked to choose one to make a presentation about. The best presentation would win $500 for their nonprofit. Ati’s group won.
A week later Lindy talked with Ati again about foster care.
“Wait! There’s a program I learned about in history class that can help us,” Ati told his mom. “It’s called Better Together. They step in before the government. We don’t have to go to foster care,” said Ati.
Lindy researched, prayed, and then called for help a week later. She met Tara, a family support manager, who told Lindy about our short-term care, jobs, and mentoring programs. Tara also helped Lindy connect to better healthcare.
“Being aware of Better Together has helped alleviate a lot of pressure on me,” said Lindy. “Ati is not scared to end up in the foster care system anymore. He’s a lot more relaxed, back to his old self. He knows we have someone to call now.”
Story & Moments by Kinfay / Better Together
