Kenzie Sought a Safe Place for Her Daughter for a 10-Week Stay

Four weeks ago, Together for Good (TFG) received a call from a hospital social worker about a mom named Kenzie.

Kenzie was expecting twins and had been admitted to the hospital the day before due to complications with her pregnancy. Kenzie and the social worker had just finished a conversation with Kenzie’s OB-GYN, who strongly recommended that Kenzie stay in the hospital on bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy to protect her health and that of her babies. 

The problem? Kenzie had nowhere for her six-year-old daughter to stay for ten weeks until her babies were due. No one in her life that she trusted to safely care for Adelle. 

As Kenzie shared her situation with the TFG case manager, she leaned back in the hospital bed, exhausted, overwhelmed, and scared. 

But then the TFG case manager began explaining what TFG offered, and suddenly, Kenzie felt hopeful.

Together for Good could provide a host family who would welcome Adelle into their home and bring Adelle to the hospital for regular visits, a parent advocate who would be an intentional friend to provide encouragement while Kenzie was hospitalized, and support volunteers who would bring meals and diapers when the babies were born. 

Together for Good wasn’t just a place for Adelle to go; it was a community that was ready to love and support Kenzie.

So Kenzie said yes to TFG. In just a few hours, the TFG case manager found two host families who were ready to welcome Adelle into their homes for the next ten weeks! 

The case manager had coordinated one family to care for Adelle during the week and scheduled a second host family to step in and provide any respite care for the host family caring for Adelle.

Burnout can happen quickly when well-intentioned people step into crisis situations that will last a while. At Together for Good, our case managers ensure that every volunteer is supported as they serve.

Since the hosting started three weeks ago, Adelle's host family shared that “We are happy to be able to serve and have been able to build a loving relationship with Adelle. 

Having only done respite care in the past, a longer-term hosting has been eye-opening for us. We are realizing the immense need for wrap-around care from the larger TFG community for long-term hostings. Not everyone can be a host family, but everyone can help somehow: rides for family visits, meals, respite weekends, and prayer. It really takes a village to make this work well."

Kenzie’s story is a reminder that when a participant family is cared for through TFG, it is not just one host family or parent advocate stepping into the participant’s life. It is truly a community of loving volunteers, donors, and staff who work tirelessly to ensure that a family’s every need is met.

Knowing that Adelle is safe and happy has enabled Kenzie to focus on her health and that of her babies, and now, when Kenzie also knows that she has people commited to her and her family.