Leann and her husband once had good jobs and a nice home where they were raising their three children. But Leann fell victim to an addiction that cost them their family and their future.

“I was spending more and more money on drugs,” she shares.

The couple eventually divorced, and her husband took custody of the children. Leann was arrested and incarcerated for nearly a year. When she was released, she had nowhere to go. “I moved back in with my parents,” she says, “and that was hard.”

She vowed to maintain her sobriety so she’d be allowed to have contact with her children. But two years ago, when she learned she wasn’t included in their father’s plans for them at Christmas, she began using again. “My heart was broken – I was so depressed,” she says. After several more arrests, Leann knew she had to change if she was ever going to be restored to her children. And she came to The Foundry for help.

In our faith-based program, she has built a strong relationship with the Lord. Through employment-readiness at our Dental Clinic, she is gaining marketable skills. As a dorm leader, she is learning the virtues of patience and compassion. She’s determined to put her experience together with God’s guidance to become the mother her children deserve.

Last Christmas was a first step in that direction. The children visited her here, and partners in the community provided gifts for her to give them (see sidebar). “To see their faces light up because ‘mom’ actually got them gifts… it was so awesome!” she says. This year she will graduate in time to be home with them for the holidays, and it will be a celebration of the new life ahead of them.

“I want to go to work, take care of my children, lead a normal life and be the mother God planned for me to be,” Leann says today. “This place changes your heart.”

To read the Holiday 2017 newsletter that features this story, download it here.