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Home Means Safety and Fun

Nobody could define our guiding principles of health, hope, and home better than the people who make our work worthwhile.

“LOOK AT MY SCOOTER!” Amari announces as she zips through the Petersburg apartment on a pink Razor scooter, down the hall, back and forth across the living room, circling precariously around a coffee table decorated with a tall vase of flowers.

Treva Smith was referred to Family Lifeline’s Growing Well programming in June 2020 and began working with her Parent Educator, Hope, in January 2021. Growing Well programming supports healthy family functioning and positive parenting through intensive home-visiting services. From the start, Ms. Smith was enthusiastic about the program. “I’m always for learning something new or just getting help,” she says. “Hope has been giving me so many resources.”

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Originally from Baltimore, Ms. Smith wasn’t familiar with the resources available here. Hope helped her identify a network of services and encouraged her to leverage resources for both her and her children. “It’s like things just started happening that was way better, easier. Everything started falling into place when I did Family Lifeline,” she explains.
 

Since partnering with Family Lifeline, Ms. Smith was able to finish school to become a licensed phlebotomist. “Hope has been there for the whole thing,” Ms. Smith says. Ms. Smith recently acquired her driver’s license and purchased a car. All this by the time she turned thirty, Ms. Smith likes to note.
 

To Ms. Smith, home means safety and fun. “Home is the safest place. It’s my favorite place,” she says. “I believe my kids are one-hundred percent happy in this place.” Throughout her time with Family Lifeline, Ms. Smith has been doing everything to build the home she wants for her family. Recognizing the power of community support, she never lets an opportunity for growth and connection pass her by. “I believe it takes a village,” says Ms. Smith. “We try to make it work.”

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Amari smiles for the camera while playing with mom and brother Ashton

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Amari on her scooter

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Ms. Smith, Ashton, and Parent Educator Hope

Story from Family Lifeline's 2021 Impact Report

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