New Beginning for Foster Child

On a Saturday in July, we received a letter from Children Services, saying that they were searching for relatives that would be willing to take in a child in need. Unfortunately, we had no relationship with the mother and only knew that the child existed, but had never met her or knew anything about the environment she was being raised in. For the entire weekend we tried to get in touch with the agency and find out more about the situation but no luck. On Monday, we were able to finally reach a caseworker that explained the tough life this child endured that includedneglect, physical, and emotional abuse since birth. She is currently only 13 months old. Horrified, we immediately let the agency know that we'd be happy to open our homes and our hearts for this little one. The rest of the week we scrambled to find everything she would need. Because we don't have any children of our own, we needed everything from a crib, to food, clothes, diapers, you name it and we needed it. Somehow we were able to gather a lot of items to at least get her through the rest of the summer. Thursday of that same week, we brought her home and our lives have been blessed to watch her grow and see her adorable smile each day since.  It was tough at first, seeing her anxiety and fear of not knowing what to expect in her new surroundings. Each day got better as we spent time with her, read books, played with toys, took her on walks,  and gave her constant attention, love and affection. It didn't take long for her to open her heart to us and we are so grateful that she did. Our little one is smart, funny, adorable and an amazing blessing to our lives. 

We're lucky to have so many wonderful friends and family members who have donated what they could. The agency offered to pay for her daycare, which we grately appreciated. Unfortunately, we received a call from the agency today and they informed us that they would be unable to continue with coverage for her daycare because we now have temporary custody, which was made official last week. This was an unexpected blow. With rent, car payments and an overwhelming amount of student loan debt, our funds just don't stretch wide enough  to cover the $175 weekly daycare cost.  We are committed to doing whatever it takes to keep our little one and make sure she has the ability to go to daycare and continue to learn, grow, and socialize with other children for her development. We are humbly asking for help from anyone who can donate any amount toward helping us cover her daycare costs.  No amount is too little. If you are unable to offer a donation, we ask that you share this story with your friends, family, and social media circles. We thank you more than words can say and appreciate your consideration and kindness.