When Everything Changes Overnight

The call came in late in the afternoon.

Three young sisters—ages 4, 6, and 9—had to be removed immediately from their home in one of the counties Foster Families NRC serves. The conditions were unsafe. The environment unpredictable. The girls had learned, far too early, that the world was not a place they could trust.

The Problem

For children entering foster care, removal is often chaotic and traumatic. In this case, the girls were scared, overwhelmed, and unsure of what would happen next. Their caseworker faced a difficult reality—there was no immediate foster home available that could take all three sisters together.

Without options, the alternative would have been to take them to the DHHS office to wait—sometimes for hours—under fluorescent lights, in an unfamiliar and impersonal space, while their future hung in the balance.

They were invited to the FFNRC Resource Boutique where they chose a few items of their own—simple things, but powerful ones: clean clothes, hygiene items, and something just for comfort.

Lucy, the middle sister at age six, found it.

A small stuffed bear.

She clutched it tightly, her shoulders softening just a little. In that moment, she seemed to decide something important:

Maybe I’m not completely alone.

Had Haven 127 not existed, these girls would have spent those critical first hours in a waiting room—processing trauma without support, comfort, or care.

Instead, they were seen. They were soothed. They were given dignity.

The Ongoing Solution: Walking Together

Instead of struggling alone, she reached out to Foster Families NRC.
And she was met with understanding.

Not judgment. Not pressure. But someone who had walked a similar road—someone who could say, “I see you. I’ve been there.”

Through FFNRC, she received:

• Essential items to meet the girls’ immediate needs
• Guidance on navigating trauma behaviors
• Emotional support from someone who truly understood
• Access to programs designed to strengthen and sustain foster families

For the first time since saying yes, she felt something shift:

Relief.

She didn’t have to figure this out alone.

Help wasn’t far away—it was right at her fingertips.

They left with almost nothing.

No bags packed. No favorite blankets. No time to say goodbye to what little felt familiar.

Just fear, confusion, and each other.

The First Solution: A Safe Place to Land

Instead, the worker called Foster Families NRC.

Within minutes, arrangements were made to bring the girls to Haven 127, FFNRC’s emergency removal space designed specifically for moments like this.

At Haven 127, everything changed.

The girls walked into a calm, welcoming environment. Soft spaces. Gentle voices. A place that didn’t feel like another system—but like safety.

For the first time that day, they were able to pause.

They sat. They breathed. They began—slowly—to decompress from the shock of having their world turned upside down.

The Impact

Soon after, a foster family said yes—to all three girls.

Overnight, their home—and their hearts—expanded.

But as the days passed, the weight of trauma began to surface.

The girls were guarded. Reactive. They pushed boundaries, tested limits, and acted out—not because they were “difficult,” but because they were protecting themselves the only way they knew how.

They had learned not to trust.

Not to let anyone get too close.

And now, this new foster mom was trying to meet not only their emotional needs, but also the sudden, very real physical needs of a family that had just grown by three.

Clothing. Bedding. Hygiene supplies. School items. Comfort objects.

It was overwhelming.

This May, during Foster Care Awareness Month, our goal is to raise $250,000.

Because when our community—individuals, businesses, churches—comes together, we make stories like this possible.

We turn moments of crisis into moments of care.

We remind children like Lucy that they are not alone.

And we ensure that families who say “yes” have everything they need to keep saying it.