Strengthening generations

A teenage girl was skipping school, hanging out with the wrong crowd, dating boys she shouldn't, staying out late and arguing with her parents. She had even left home to live with a boyfriend. Her family was intact - she lived with her mom, dad and little sister - and there were no real problems other than a family history of depression. But still, she acted out. Her parents brought her to HopeSparks.

She benefited from counseling for awhile but then she quit and disappeared. Over the years her mother, father and sister came to HopeSparks seeking help and guidance for various issues. Eventually the whole family benefited from the foundation set by the girl's initial involvement with the Center.

The girl returned to HopeSparks as a young woman, after giving birth to a daughter. She decided to come back to the center to deal with mild post partum depression. But more importantly, she wanted to work with the counselors to help her learn to raise her baby properly so that her daughter would not take the path she had traveled. The new mom recognized how HopeSparks strengthens families - not just in the short term, but over long periods of time and even in new generations.