Virgie was terrified. She knew her son had been struggling but he hid how bad things were. One day his apartment was empty. His phone was dead. Virgie couldn’t find him or his five children. She was frantic with worry.

He showed up on her doorstep a week later asking her to keep the children overnight. They’d been living on the street and the children were tired and frightened. Of course, she said yes right away.

Virgie loved on her grandchildren and listened with tears in her eyes to the stories of what they’d endured. Her son’s addiction had taken over their lives. He’d been keeping her in the dark. After the children went to bed, Virgie prayed. Heartbroken, she knew what she had to do. The next morning, she called child protective services. She wanted to make sure her son couldn't take the children back.

Virgie was nearing retirement when the children moved in. Raising five children is expensive and she struggled to make ends meet. Each of the five kids had their own unique needs. Her granddaughter suffered from nightmares that she was still homeless. One of her teen grandsons has ADHD and was behind in school. Another has diabetes and needs medical attention. Virgie felt overwhelmed.

Because of generous donors like you, we connected Virgie with legal aid as well as beds and clothes for her grandchildren. In a recent conversation with her HALOS Family Advocate, her voice was filled with pride and hope. “My oldest two grandchildren are now in college,” she reported, “It’s been hard, but when I look at my grands, I know I made the right decision.”

Because families like Virgie's need help, would you consider making a gift today? Your gift will be put to work immediately providing expert assistance to kinship families. Your donation changes lives!