A Family Restored for Good

Three and a half years ago, TFG host mom Michele, and her husband, Josh, picked up Cameron and Frank Jr. from an addiction treatment center where their mom, Amber, was going to begin a one-month recovery program.

Amber had begun using drugs when she was just 16-years-old. Years later, with two young boys, Amber realized that if she did not do something to overcome her addiction, the drugs would overcome her—taking not only her life, but her future with her sons.

Amber with Frank Jr. and Cameron.

Yet, every time Amber thought about addiction recovery, she felt like she didn’t have the support or willpower needed to change. Like so many other mothers trapped in addiction, the lack of a safe place for her children to stay kept Amber feeling like there was no way she would ever be able to become clean.

Amber’s mom, Shannon, wanted to help her but was unable to commit to caring for the boys during treatment. That’s when Shannon heard about Together for Good (TFG). TFG seemed like the perfect solution, and Shannon quickly connected Amber to a TFG case manager. Amber’s TFG case manager coordinated a one-month hosting for three-year-old Cameron and five-year-old Frank Jr., which would last for the initial phase of Amber’s recovery program.

When Josh and Michele Strelecki, a TFG host family, first saw the opportunity to host Cameron and Frank Jr., they felt that this was for them. God was calling them to care for these little boys while their mom did the bravest thing she could for them and for herself.

Reflecting on their journey with Amber and the boys, Michele said, “You just have to make the investment. Sometimes it pays off in discouragement, and sometimes it pays off with joy, but in the Lord it is never in vain.”

At first, it seemed like hosting the boys was only paying off with discouragement. Amber had a difficult time persevering through treatment and initially relapsed. This was discouraging to everyone, including herself; however, the difficulty of becoming clean did not deter the Streleckis from standing by Amber.

Michele kept reaching out to Amber, encouraging her and praying for her. As a TFG host mom, Michele was invested not just in keeping Frank Jr. and Cameron safe during this time, but in building up Amber and in her success as a mother. Through this encouragement and Amber’s persistence, she completed the initial one-month portion of treatment. Everyone was so incredibly proud.

After the intensive in-house treatment that she completed, Amber’s program included a second stage that involved living in a home with other women but no kids.

Josh and Michele were asked whether they would be willing to keep Frank Jr. and Cameron with them while Amber moved on to the next chapter of the program. They were more than willing, and the hosting was extended.

All in all, the Streleckis hosted Cameron and Frank Jr. for six months.

During this time, Michele would frequently bring the boys to visit Amber, building up their relationship with their mom and Michele’s relationship with Amber. This friendship between Amber and the Streleckis lasted well beyond the hosting.

Pictures of Cameron, Frank Jr., and the Strelecki family.

After six months with Josh, Michele, and their children, Cameron and Frank Jr. were finally able to go home to Amber. But this wasn’t the end of the story.

After being reunited with her sons, Amber decided to enroll in a two-year degree program to become a licensed alcohol and drug counselor. During this time, the Streleckis remained connected with Amber, occasionally hosting the boys.

As they walked with Amber and her sons through this new season, Josh and Michele felt the Lord prompting them to provide a car for Amber, as she currently had to push the boys in a stroller every time she wanted to go get groceries or run errands. Amber was incredibly grateful for the vehicle and is still driving it today!

Shortly after Amber was given the car, another family from the Streleckis church felt prompted to help her financially. However, Amber actually directed them to another woman who had been in treatment with her. Amber shared that she wanted someone else to experience the support that she had.

Since completing treatment and eventually graduating as a licensed alcohol and drug counselor, Amber’s whole goal has been to inspire and uplift others who feel as she once did: alone and without hope for the future.

One of the people her testimony has inspired was Cameron and Frank Jr.'s father, Frank. Like Amber, he struggled with drug addiction and, like Amber, he realized that he would miss out on Cameron and Frank Jr.’s future if he didn’t change something soon. Shortly after Amber began treatment, Frank followed.

Without a single relapse since the time he entered treatment, Frank has been clean for nearly three and a half years!

Since completing treatment, Amber and Frank have gotten engaged, and both are invested in being there for their sons. Frank Jr. and Cameron have had their family not just strengthened but restored.

Pictures of Amber and Frank with their sons, Frank Jr. and Cameron.

On February 7, 2026, Amber celebrated three years of sobriety.

Michele shared, “The only reason any of this turned out the way it did is because of Amber’s strength and commitment.” No matter how difficult the journey was, Amber persevered, and that has changed not only her future but that of Frank Jr., Cameron, and Frank, as well as the countless other women that Amber continues to inspire.

This is the power of one family saying yes to caring for two little boys in need.

When a TFG host family opens their home to a child, they are not just meeting the immediate need of a place for a child to stay; they are ultimately telling a parent who is in crisis that they are not alone, that there are people who believe in them. This belief and tangible support have the potential to completely change the trajectory for that parent’s future and that of their entire family.

As Michele said, each of us has the opportunity to make an investment in the life of a vulnerable family. That investment might bring discouragement at times, but ultimately, the return is immense joy as families are restored.