L was 13 years old when she was admitted to our maternity program. She remained in DSS custody due to the incarceration of both of her parents, as well as her maternal aunt and her brother. L’s mother and brother are both addicts. Her brother is serving time for assaulting L while becoming enraged under the influence of narcotics.
On the day that L was admitted, we took her to the emergency room to have staples removed from the head injury. She has had to testify in court and struggles with feeling responsible for his incarceration. Previously “home schooled” by her mother, L made a successful transition to public school. She responds well to our structured and stable environment. She is well-behaved, compliant and respectful. She enjoys spending time in our vocational lab and hanging out with her friends. Despite her young age, she is a very nurturing mother to her son, and she loves to learn all that she can about parenting. She just turned 14 years old.
“Crittenton has been a great deal to me and my baby girl. I appreciate all the staff that took the time out to cater to my everyday needs. Although it was a rough and stressful start, it has gotten much better than what I had expected. Thanks for providing me with a service that can’t go without recognition. I’m going to miss everyone that took part in my pregnancy journey, which seemed like a long time.
During my stay here I managed to accomplish housing, education, a job, and responsibility. Thanks to Crittenton, I have the confidence to complete any task that I put my mind to. It’s been a great experience and another chapter that was added, and I can’t wait to tell my story.”
If Fay Green were alive today she would want to tell you a story…she was a great story teller! Fay and her hubby Danny, were both actively involved with FCS for many years. For her devotion and dedication to FCS, Fay was awarded the Lucille P. Giles Award in 1999. She was co-chair of the FCS Auxiliary from 1989-1993. Together with her dear friend, Claire MacGregor, they established the FCS Auxiliary Scholarship Fund in the 1980s. A few weeks before she passed away, I was with her in Temple Beth-El’s library and as she turned the pages of her personal scrapbook, she recounted stories not only about her but about a culture that was changing because of her. I was deeply affected by the scope of her accomplishments as she volunteered in a myriad of ways throughout the Charlotte community. The photo, below, shows her standing tall in pink, smartly dressed, accessorized and coiffed, as this was her signature demeanor. The one you see here is of Fay enjoying an afternoon with the Auxiliary ladies, just one of many spanning 30 years! Fay was always snapping photos of others and relished giving them away. She loved decorating FCS for the holidays and took part in the annual plant sale. Whenever I see a hand knit cap with a pom pom on top, I think of Fay since she loved to knit them for the newborns to keep them toasty warm. Lovely submitted by Gene Ruth Poler.