Stories of Hope

You Can Make A Difference

Sabrina knows just what it is like to be a youth in foster care. Sabrina is now a Youth Minister, married with a family of her own. She wanted to find ways to connect and give back to youth in foster care.

Learning to Set Realistic Expectations

Troy and Cheryl were at their wits end. They came to Nexus-PATH Family Healing for therapy services after recognizing their 14-year-old daughter Jana’s behavior was getting out of hand at home. Jana would have outbursts of anger that came out of nowhere that would lead to screaming, slamming doors, and breaking things in the house.

Ali, Betsy, and Dane on a park bench as toddlers

Learning to Co-Regulate Emotions

Dena has three children – her seven-year old twins, Ali and Dane, and Betsy who is eight. When her children were younger, Dena and her husband struggled in their marriage. Her husband was in and out of jail and they argued a lot. Dena and her husband got a divorce and Dena needed to enroll her children into daycare. It was around this time that her children started to have lots of emotional and behavioral issues.

Someone Who Believed in Him

Sam had been living at Nexus-Mille Lacs Family Healing for over a year, spending all of his holidays and special events with the staff there because family visits weren’t safe for him at the time. Sam worked hard with his therapist though, at times, she wondered how effective she was because Sam would often play with cars during therapy; he didn’t talk much and often didn’t appear to be listening.

Learning Life Skills

Marcus was a determined young man. He was not going to let his past trauma define him. He worked diligently on addressing his challenges, attending school, and gaining skills toward independence.

Resiliency and Reconnection

Casey, a resilient 14-year-old boy, had bounced in and out of 19 homes in his short lifetime. When he arrived at Nexus-Indian Oaks, he began the incredibly tough task of yet again, opening up, trusting people, and reliving his trauma. Through the ups and downs in treatment his smile and his big heart really stood out to our staff. He had so much love to give, but he didn’t have any family in his life and it was breaking his heart.

Giving Back Love and Support

John and Haley discussed becoming foster parents on their first date. For a while, they drove by a Nexus-PATH billboard every single day until one day they decided it was time. They reached out to become licensed as foster parents.

The Wounded Healer

Principal Mauri Melander Friestleben recently visited Nexus-Mille Lacs girls at the Andover Group Home to watch and discuss the Love Them First - Lessons from Lucy Laney Elementary documentary together and share their own life experiences.

Allison Family photo - two parents and three kids

Full Hearts, Full House

The first day Farrel and Rachel Allison opened their home, they grew from a family of two to a family of five when three youth arrived together. The couple says they haven’t looked back since.

Developing Safe Thoughts and Behaviors

With a heavy heart, MacKenna’s mother made the hard decision to give custody of her bright, creative, independent 12-year-old to the Department of Children and Family Services. She did so to make sure MacKenna received the help she needed. You see, MacKenna suffered from trauma at a young age and her body remembered, but her mind did not.

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