This is my Mom and Step Dad Clifford and Connie Russell, from Dixonville, AB Canada, (Northern Alberta) because of this I have first-hand knowledge of the following... They are parents and foster parents to multiple children and do so to give a safe loving home to kids until they are able to return to their home.
They are parents and foster parents to multiple children and do so to give a safe loving home to kids until they are able to return to their homes.
Over two years ago they started on a very difficult journey that most people would have given up on long ago, but at a very great cost to them financially and their family life. Even with this, they have continued the fight for truth and justice and most importantly the well being of two very loved little children.
A lot of details can not be said because of our governments confidentiality laws; but 2 years ago one of their young foster children were in a school bus accident and in need of serious medical attention and the Russell's were devastated and went through the process of helping him and advocating for him for all his needs to recover just as they would have for their own flesh and blood. In this process of his recovery there were times where his needs for a full recovery were not properly being met by a Child and Family Services Agency; and when the Russell's started advocating for him and were forced to talk over the heads of a few that apparently had their own agenda for the child and the potential lawsuit money that they thought the child was "worth", the child was ripped from their home and family without warning or reason or any further contact. And to cover their tracks a second child who was even younger who had been with them since birth was pulled from their home under false accusations that the Russell home was an unfit home. This second child was about 4 1/2 years old and the Russell's were the only parents this child had ever known from birth and this child was very much a part of our family, both these children are.
Since then the Russell's have been fighting through the court system for 24 long months to see justice and see their children come back home. They have proven over and over that the allegations against them were false through investigations done by Child and Family Services and that they did no wrong and have recently been awarded custody of one of the children through the courts because they had to do two separate trials or wait till 2018 to get a long enough trial days in Edmonton court to do both at the same time. The judge granted them custody of the oldest child and stated that he was appalled that he was ever take away to begin with. They are still on a journey to get the second child back waiting for a trial. This has been a tremendously expensive endeavor and they have had to put their entire life on hold to go through this fight, with hours and hours of documents, home visits, Trips to Edmonton for court dates and meetings with Lawyers and Lawyer fees, and they have sold everything thing they can and even have tried to sell a portion of their small farm to stay going.
They have spent over $70,000 in the last 2 years and will have to pay more in the near future as they are still fighting for the second child and to see that the people responsible for all this corruption in the system are held accountable for what they have done, and that they can't do it again to any other children in their care.
We are asking that if you feel led to help the Russell family by praying for justice to come to the forefront of our Child And Family Services System, and those responsible be removed from their positions and making a donation to help this family recuperate their losses, and most importantly continue this fight through our court system to bring justice not just for these two children but to see that no other children are harmed by the individuals who have done this please do. They just want their kids back and that this won't continue to happen to others under the care of these people.
Michael Bruvold
A Message From Clifford and Connie:
We believe we were chosen to go through what we have gone through to be able to bring justice not just for the two children we have fought for but for many children who are currently under this Child and Family Services Agency. Every child in Alberta deserves to have their medical needs met when in care. They also deserve to be in properly screened homes that keep the children safe so they are not abused like these two children have been after they were taken from our home and place into other separate homes. Their emotional needs also need to be met and Child And Family Services Agencies should not be allowed to cause harm to the children in their care by not meeting all their needs. Our system is flawed in Alberta and it needs changes made to it that we are very much a part of continued advocating for this to be done. Just like in the case of the little girl Serenity that died under a Child and Family Services Agency our special Alberta children need people to stand up and speak up for them. It is not their fault they are going through all this. Your prayers and your donations will help us to do all we are doing without causing our family financial hardship to do it, and it will help us to recover from all that we have done already. For anyone who would like updates we are on facebook and can be messaged through there on messenger. Our FaceBook username is "Connie Clifford Russell". We are not able to put up pictures of these children and us as a family because of our confidentiality laws we have and because our fight is still before the courts for the 2nd child.
Thank You In Advance For Your Help,
Clifford, Connie & Family