Katie's Story
.
The oldest of four children in a traditional middle-class family, Katie, at age 16, schocked her parents with news of her pregnancy. After dealing with the shock, Katie's parents encouraged her to look at all of her options, but Katie knew all along she wanted to keep her baby.
Recognizing the stress and challenges for very young, single mothers like Katie, her health care provider referred her to Family & Children's Center's Healthy Families. There, Katie began working with family support worker Katie Rommes.
Rommes helped Katie with everything from child development, affordable housing and resources for finishing high school and college education.
"It's tiring, but rewarding," Katie says of single-parenting. "It can be tough not having a break or someone to relieve you." Still, she says it would be "ten-times harder" without the support of Rommes and Family & Children's Center.
"Without them, I'd probably be at another job making minimum wage. Instead, I'm a registered nurse, and I love it," says Katie. "Katie [Rommes] helped me realize the possibilities that are out there. If you have a goal, you can achieve it."
It's a lesson Katie now is modeling for her own children - assuring healthy tomorrows for future lifetimes.
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Shannon's Story
.
Family should represent a warm, safe place where you can talk and be yourself. For Shannon, it's a definition based more on what she wants to have with her husband and daughter and less on what she experienced as a child.
Shannon's parents were loving, but they were also very busy and very stressed. They worked long hours to provide for their eight children, and Shannon's dad grappled with anger issues. When the children misbehaved, they were spanked.
Shannon could live with the spankings, but not with the abusive caregivers. One babysitter literally threw the children into their beds when they misbehaved and beat them so severely they had bruises all over their bodies. Another babysitter simply required the children to stay in bed all day until their parents came home.
When Shannon learned she was pregnant, she knew she wanted more for her child.
Her physicians opened that door for her by introducing her to Healthy Families, Family & Children's Center's child abuse and neglect prevention program.
A family support worker began working with Shannon, her new husband and their infant daughter almost immediately. She helped the family with everything from developmental issues and parenting techniques for their daughter Amber to education/career goals and relationship skills for them as a couple.
"The help assured me I could raise Amber in a healthy way," says Shannon. "Without the program, I couldn't have gotten my education, I probably wouldn't still be with my husband, and I definitely would have a lot more financial stress."
Without Healthy Families, Shannon is certain Amber would experience 'family' just as she did growing up. But, thanks to Family & Children's Center, Amber's family life is on course to match her mom's ideal.
Katie's Story
.
The oldest of four children in a traditional middle-class family, Katie, at age 16, schocked her parents with news of her pregnancy. After dealing with the shock, Katie's parents encouraged her to look at all of her options, but Katie knew all along she wanted to keep her baby.
Recognizing the stress and challenges for very young, single mothers like Katie, her health care provider referred her to Family & Children's Center's Healthy Families. There, Katie began working with family support worker Katie Rommes.
Rommes helped Katie with everything from child development, affordable housing and resources for finishing high school and college education.
"It's tiring, but rewarding," Katie says of single-parenting. "It can be tough not having a break or someone to relieve you." Still, she says it would be "ten-times harder" without the support of Rommes and Family & Children's Center.
"Without them, I'd probably be at another job making minimum wage. Instead, I'm a registered nurse, and I love it," says Katie. "Katie [Rommes] helped me realize the possibilities that are out there. If you have a goal, you can achieve it."
It's a lesson Katie now is modeling for her own children - assuring healthy tomorrows for future lifetimes.
.
Shannon's Story
.
Family should represent a warm, safe place where you can talk and be yourself. For Shannon, it's a definition based more on what she wants to have with her husband and daughter and less on what she experienced as a child.
Shannon's parents were loving, but they were also very busy and very stressed. They worked long hours to provide for their eight children, and Shannon's dad grappled with anger issues. When the children misbehaved, they were spanked.
Shannon could live with the spankings, but not with the abusive caregivers. One babysitter literally threw the children into their beds when they misbehaved and beat them so severely they had bruises all over their bodies. Another babysitter simply required the children to stay in bed all day until their parents came home.
When Shannon learned she was pregnant, she knew she wanted more for her child.
Her physicians opened that door for her by introducing her to Healthy Families, Family & Children's Center's child abuse and neglect prevention program.
A family support worker began working with Shannon, her new husband and their infant daughter almost immediately. She helped the family with everything from developmental issues and parenting techniques for their daughter Amber to education/career goals and relationship skills for them as a couple.
"The help assured me I could raise Amber in a healthy way," says Shannon. "Without the program, I couldn't have gotten my education, I probably wouldn't still be with my husband, and I definitely would have a lot more financial stress."
Without Healthy Families, Shannon is certain Amber would experience 'family' just as she did growing up. But, thanks to Family & Children's Center, Amber's family life is on course to match her mom's ideal.