Author: Kamaria Clifton

Story #20

Story #20

I work on Legacy Hall at Florence Crittenton which caters to non pregnant/non parenting teens aging out of the foster care system.

Our goal is to help them get on their feet and learn skills including employment, budgeting, and housing so that they could move out on their own successfully.

I enjoy spending time with the foster care clients in the program. The challenges of the position are highly motivating.

Witnessing the girls successes: graduating from high school or substance abuse rehabilitation, getting their permits or getting their first job, making better grades and raising their grade point averages, improving their attendance at school… or failures that they learn from: what clothes not to wash together, how not to cook an item, groceries that don’t last all week, having to work out taking turns cleaning their bathrooms… all make incredible learning experiences for us all.

Florence Crittenton Services has made a difference in my life because it has given me the opportunity to make investments in people,  and that opportunity is truly important to me!

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Tammy, 16: Love Yourself

Hi, my name is Tammy and 17 years ago Florence Crittenton changed my life forever. I was 16 years old and pregnant with my second child when I came there. I had a low self esteem, I did not care about anything anyone had to say at the time. It was there that I was taught to love my self and then my baby. The staff were awesome even down to the doctors. I had a lot of complications with my first baby, but being in the environment of this home I had no complication because I was stress free. I can go on and on about how great this home is for pregnant women who are trying to get their lives together.
I just want to tell y’all that Florence Crittenton saved my life and from the bottom of my heart,
…tears are rolling…
appreciate every little thing they have done for me.

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H, 16: For Anyone who is Scared

Client writing a letter of advice to new clients:

Hello!!! I am currently 37 weeks pregnant. Tomorrow I will be 38 weeks pregnant. This is my first baby and don’t plan on anymore until the future. Anyways I am 16 years old and I’m still in school living my life just as well as anybody else. But here is something that I and you might have in common that might surprise you is that I also stay here at Florence Crittenton.

Being only 16 and also scared of what it was that I was facing, coming to Florence Crittenton I was kind of nervous at first. Soon I come to realize that this was where I needed and wanted to be.

This program put so much comfort and dignity in me. When I thought that the world was only looking down on me I came here and realized that I’m not a bad person and no matter what there is still hope and I’m very confident that I can make it being a single mom as long as I can keep my priorities set straight. With the help of staff always being here to talk to me when I’m worried or having troubles, I never worry myself about being lonely and not knowing what to do because there always here when you need them.

I don’t feel like I’m the only one anymore because there are some girls here that are in the same situation as me. This place has truly changed me and I don’t know where it is that I would be without Florence Crittenton. Coming here you’ll learn a lot of new things about becoming a parent. There are so many programs that come here to help us with the start at a foundation of becoming a mother. I’m s sure that you will love this place!!! Well, thanks for taking the time to read my story. Never give up because your life if not over. You have a precious gift that God gave you growing in you and please don’t for get that.

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Story #15

Story #15

How did I begin my involvement in Florence Crittenton?

I was eating breakfast early one weekday morning at Anderson’s Restaurant near uptown Charlotte. A person I only slightly knew came over to my table and identified himself as a FCS Board member and simply said, “I’ve been asked to invite you to become a member of our Board. I’m sure he was a little surprised at how quickly I said, “I will be happy to join”. I asked if he was surprised at the quick response and told him perhaps the key reason. My younger brother and his wife, thinking they could have no children, applied for adoption, were approved and soon received a baby girl. She came through The Children’s Home in Greensboro. I had a very strong feeling that perhaps also through Florence Crittenton. The later didn’t matter, but seeing how much joy she had brought into the lives of my brother and his wife, I knew I wanted to try to “give something back”. That request by the Board member was almost 25 years ago and I’m still involved in this incredible organization as a member of the Advisory Board.

F, 26: “Dare”

Today’s story was an email received from an FCS supporter. I love how this story demonstrates the many facets of Florence Crittenton’s impact.

Hello, Friends,

I just checked a book out of the Char-Meck library that my friends had been raving about: Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife by Eben Alexander, MD. Eben, a neurosurgeon, was born in December of 1953 at the Florence Crittenton Home in Charlotte, next to Charlotte Memorial Hospital!

His mother was 16, the youngest resident, and took the “code name” of Virginia Dare. She was called “Dare” by the residents, and desperately wanted to keep her son. Residents at that time were at the Home three months before and two weeks after the birth of their babies. She and the father eventually did marry and had more children.

Eben spent his first Christmas plus eleven days in the hospital, and then went to a “baby dorm.” He was adopted by a wonderful couple, which was meaningful to me since our first child, now deceased, was also adopted.

The birth father was a naval aviator, NASA Apollo trainee, an airline pilot for Piedmont and Delta, and an attorney! Eben did reunite with his birth family.

You can read a sample at the link below. I haven’t gotten very far into the book as of now, but I am really enjoying it!

http://www.amazon.com/Proof-Heaven-Neurosurgeons-Journey-Afterlife/dp/1451695195/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1358865705&sr=1-1&keywords=eben+alexander

Blessings,
FCS Supporter

If you like this story, please consider giving a gift to support these girls and women and their families.
https://crittentonofnc.org/giving-opportunities/

Catherina Kamara, 17: Last Guardians

Hi, my name is Catherine Kamara and my son Isaiah and I came to Florence Crittenton Services February 2007. I was 17yrs old & my son was 4wks old. Finding out that my step-mother no longer wanted to care for me & was willing to give my son and I up for custody was devastating. At the age of eleven I lost my mother & less then a year later I lost my father & honestly the only person I had as a guardian was my step-mother who promised my biological parents that she’ll care for my siblings & I & be there for us no matter what. But January 18,2007 when my newborn was only 5 days old she made that very clear that everything she told my parents was nothing but lies. The day DSS was called to my house by my school social workers was the same day both my son & I was placed in the foster care system. That second when I heard my foster care social worker’s supervisor on the phone said “Alright we have no other choice but to place them both in foster care” I literally thought my life was over & I automatically thought my son will be lost in the system forever because I was turning 18 & aging out of the system. I was devastated, scared, nervous, & felt like there was absolutely no hope that I’ll ever accomplish anything to prove to my child that I want a better future for him. That night the Alamance County DSS removed us out of my house I made my social worker promise me that she’ll never separate my son & I. I’m proud to say that she held up to her promise & fought hard to find a place that will accept both my son & I, & that’s when the Alamance County DSS found FCS which has a program call Sarah’s House (a Mother & Child program).. Upon my arrival to FCS I promised myself that I will not allow anything to block me from my goals. I had to let go of a lot of negative things in my life in order for me to stay focus on a brighter future for the little child I brought into this world. Many days & nights I cried my eyes out & wanted to give up but the staff members at FCS who looked at me as their own child reminded me daily of how bright of a future I have ahead of me. My son’s first home was FCS, his first brothers/sisters were the many kids in Sarah’s House, he has so many Aunties & Grandmas at FCS that till this day he still remembers them by name & they’ll do anything for him. My plan was to never get close as I did with majority of the residents at FCS, some of them are as close to me as blood sisters & I love them dearly. I was so scared of the foster care system because of what I heard growing up as a child, but the county I had when I was in foster care showed me a completely different outcome of the system & FCS just put the cherry on top of the stress free life that they offered me & my child. There was no stressing in when I’ll be able to eat again, or who will pay this month’s bills, all I worried about was learning how to be a wonderful mother to my child & finishing my education. FCS was the biggest stepping stone God has ever blessed me with & because of them I was able to complete my GED & start college courses majoring in Criminal Justice, & when I left FCS I left there with $15000 to start a new healthy life with my son, I am one semester away from starting police academy & hopefully later in life I’ll be a Homicide Detective. After I left FCS I was asked by The National Crittenton Foundation to go to Florida to tell my story along with the many other woman/girls who are or were at FCS, & that was a huge success because I met girls who walked in the same pathway that I walked on or even worse. After the first conference with The National Crittenton Foundation myself along with a few other women were chosen to be advocates to tell our journey when we once lived at FCS. I was blessed enough to share my story with many Congress Men & Women, the beautiful Gabrielle Union, & did a television segment with my lovely Crittenton Ladies who I have falling in love with & have gotten closer then ever with. The Ladies of The National Crittenton Foundation is working on a project now call B.O.L.D which means Bringing Opportunity Love & Determination.. So please be on a close lookout for a BOLD coming to a city near you. 🙂

The opportunities FCS granted my son & I are unbelievable & words alone can not express how grateful I am for them & most of all for Charles Crittenton who had a big heart to make a change for troubling girls like myself.

If you like this story, please consider giving a gift to support these girls and women and their families.
https://crittentonofnc.org/giving-opportunities/

Story #9

Story #9

Florence Crittenton Services has been a part of my life for nearly 30 years. It was love at first sight! It would take many, many words to describe this long lasting relationship. My first memory is that Womens’ Council of Homebuilders hosted off-site picnics for the residents with an abundance of donated food and gifts for residents and their babies-to-be. Subsequently, I became a member of the Crittenton Auxilliary (still a member), chaired the Auxillary, served on and chaired the Board of Directors and presently serve on the Board of Advisers.

I fondly recall organizing and participating in numerous plant sales, bake sales, auctions, yard sales, etc. to raise money for the Auxilliary’s Scholarship Fund. I’m so grateful we have been able to assist many past and present residents further their education and seek a career path that enables them (and their children) to be productive citizens.

In October 2010, my husband and I relocated to the coast of North Carolina. Although I am physically removed from the actual location of Crittenton, its staff and residents remain very much a part of my heart and my life. It is definitely not a case of out of sight, out of mind. .What a joy it is to see healthy babies born to young women who make positive life changes as a result of counseling, expertise and love poured out during their brief stint at Crittenton. I am truly blessed to be a part of this dedicated and hard working organization.

If you like the stories we have been sharing, please consider giving a gift to support these girls and women and their families.
https://crittentonofnc.org/giving-opportunities/

L, 18: Achiever

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

This is just a letter to “Thank you.” When I first arrived here, I automatically knew that I didn’t want to be here, but it took no time for me to get myself going in the right direction. Since being here I have completed my GED, thanks to the scholarship fund, and I found a job that I love. I never thought I would ever complete some of the goals that I have set for myself over the years, but now I have.
Being at Florence Crittenton has been the best experience for me, not only for myself, but for me as a mom. I hear a lot of girls say that they don’t like being here, but for me I have enjoyed my stay and the staff! The girls say that they have never heard of a success story out of Florence Crittenton, you can now tell them that you found one in me.
For those who don’t know, beginning this fall I will become a full time student majoring in criminal justice.
Again thank you from the bottom of my heart, you have blessed me in more ways than one!

God Bless,
Always

If you like this story, please consider giving a gift to support these girls and women and their families.
https://crittentonofnc.org/giving-opportunities/

R, 21: Teaching Love

Praise from Facebook:

I am a former resident of Florence Crittenton. My son
was born at FCS and being there was a great experience
for me. Florence Crittenton gave me the resources
that I needed to bring a child into this world alone. My
son is now 3 years old and is doing amazingly well all
because FCS taught me what I needed to know to be a
wonderful parent.

Thanks to all the Florence Crittenton staff members,
who put up with my stubbornness!”

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Katie Becker, 14: New Hope

My parents were hippies and moved to Western North
Carolina to start a commune. We lived in a cabin without
electricity for five years. My family was poor and there was
a lot of dysfunction. My mother would take off for weeks
or months at a time and I, as the oldest girl, had to take
care of my five siblings. By 13 my mom was gone for good.
I was raising my brothers and sisters while my father
worked 60-70 hours a week. My father had a long fuse, but
when he reached the end of it he could be brutal.
I got pregnant when I was 14 and during one violent
episode, my father slapped me so hard I could feel the
bones in my spine pop. I was afraid for the baby and me,
and a guidance counselor and favorite teacher told me
about Florence Crittenton Services in Charlotte. I told my
dad I was leaving and would not be back. I released the
baby for adoption to my aunt and returned to Crittenton
to live in an apartment for girls who had released for
adoption. I stayed in a foster home, lived with a boyfriend
and in a boarding house and then wherever I could lay my
head. Even though my living situation was unstable,
I played on the basketball team, was senior class president
and attended prom. UNC-Charlotte was the only college I applied to and
I was accepted. I became pregnant and had three
sons while in undergrad. When I finally graduated
my sons were five, three and 10 months old.
After college I worked in a law firm, having told
my father at age four that I wanted to be a lawyer.
When my youngest was six I began law school here
in Charlotte, working, raising my sons and going to
law school at night. I will graduate from law school
almost 10 years to the day I graduated from UNCC.
My future is wide open.
Throughout the 20 years I have been in Charlotte,
Florence Crittenton has played an integral role in
my life. The support I have received and continue
to receive has been considerable and on-going.
Florence Crittenton has become a family to me, and
I know that when I graduate next May, I will see the
usual faces in the crowd supporting me.”
—Katie Becker
FCS advocate and volunteer