Meet Brianna

Brianna was born into a single-parent home. She is the third of five children. From toddler age, she was taught not to share information with others. Her mom was a drug addict and there was no family support, just survival. When Brianna was about 8 years old, her mom started allowing the drug dealers to abuse her daughters in
exchange for the purchase of drugs. When Brianna became a teen, she struggled to trust others, have healthy friendships, and find hope. She became pregnant at 15. One day, she realized she could no longer live in this lifestyle and ran away from home. Fortunately, she ran to a place that could get her the help she needed. She is in the process of rebuilding her life. Today, she is 20 and has two children as a single mom. She longs to break the chains of her past. She is searching for hope, independence, and the desire to create a better life for her family.*

Meet Aiden & Ava

Aiden is 14 and Ava is 13. They are brother and sister and, just like most teens in their community, they come from a single-parent household. Almost everyone in the community lives below the poverty line. Some have experienced hunger, homelessness, temporary housing conditions, or parents addicted to drugs and alcohol. Unfortunately, some have been mentally or physically abused. Many are struggling or failing academically. Their friends are at an increased risk for involvement with the juvenile system, physical or mental health issues, drug or alcohol abuse and skipping or dropping out of school. Ava and Aiden are worried they will continue living in the same cycle as those around them and are pessimistic about their future.*

Meet Kaylee & Dylan

Kaylee just learned that she is pregnant with Dylan’s baby. Kaylee is 18 and Dylan is 19. Dylan is excited about the baby, but Kaylee is scared and does not have the finances to support a child. She visits a local pregnancy center that does an ultrasound of the baby. Kaylee does not have a job and she and Dylan both hoped to get more education. They are discussing marriage but neither of them has any concepts about handling and managing money. Without any mentors in their lives, one of their biggest questions is, “How can we make this work when we see so many around us struggling? We do not have the money to care for this baby.”*

Meet Josephine

Josephine and her children are members of Crow Nation in Montana. She is a strong and resilient mother, doing all she can to provide for and protect her children. Unfortunately, living in a secluded community, with very few businesses or resources, she has found it difficult to maintain decent employment, making it a challenge to purchase food and basic necessities. Her estranged spouse remains absent and unhelpful. As is the situation in many homes on the reservation, Josephine is the caretaker of multiple children and family members, all while volunteering to help raise other kids in the community. Because of unresolved trauma, substance abuse and addiction, many families have been immeasurably disrupted. The local school is helpful in educating the children and providing a daily meal; however, they still struggle to dream of a different way of life. In such cases, many kids grow up to repeat the cycles of addiction and abuse by their parents, but Josephine is working hard to break that cycle, and give her kids a reason to dream bigger than they ever have.*

Meet the Creekside Community

This community is in the center of an urban city, the population is about 200 individuals including children. They are experiencing homelessness, and have built sheds from cardboard or other materials to protect themselves from the weather. They have limited access to healthcare, problems getting nutritious food, trouble staying safe as violence is all around, stress and unsanitary living conditions and some exposure to severe weather. Many adults are former addicts, but some have experienced a loss of job and their families. They are typically depressed to some degree and have little hope that things will improve long term for them. Fortunately, there are some church and para-church organizations that do lend some support to meeting their basic needs. This community is looking for hope beyond providing for their most basic needs.*