Castiel & Grace

In the fall of 2023, a mom from Arizona reached out to ask for our help. She was a few weeks pregnant and her daughter, Grace, was just two years old.

Though both parents were working, they were already struggling to pay the rent and keep Grace clothed and fed. They knew they wouldn’t be able to afford another child. And by the time their new baby, Castiel, was eleven weeks old, this fragile family was on the brink of collapse. Even homelessness.

It was then they realized they couldn’t do it alone.

Thanks to friends like you, we were able to offer them a solution. We were able to offer them Hope! 

In May, the children were welcomed into the family here at Hope Children’s Home. At just two months old, Castiel became our newest Bundles of Hope baby, and he and Grace now share a room in Courtney Cottage here at our Florida location.

They are safe, cared for… and together.

 

You see, had Castiel and Grace been taken into care by the state, it’s more than likely they would have been separated; a family further torn apart.

It’s not unusual for brothers and sisters to be removed from their home by the state for one reason or another.

Tragically, due to stretched resources, it’s commonplace for siblings to be split into separate foster homes within the state system.

Just think of the trauma. They’ve already experienced one of the most traumatic events a child can endure by being removed from their parents… but now they’ve lost the only other family they have left.

Because of friends like you, Hope is able to avoid this tragedy and to take siblings into our programs and keep them together. It’s one of our deepest commitments.

In fact, 70% of the children in our care are part of a sibling group that’s cared for together here at Hope. 

And at our Honduras location, all the children except two have brothers and sisters – and are able to be together with them at Hope! 

This is so important. And for siblings like Grace and Castiel, being kept together is of profound significance in the longer term.  

As brothers and sisters live and grow together, so does their sibling bond. It’s a precious and irreplaceable relationship that can be a source of strength, love, and support for a lifetime.

And that cannot be underestimated.

Whether children are able to return to their families after a short while with us (as is our prayer for Grace and Castiel) or whether they spend their entire childhoods here at Hope Children’s Home, growing up with their brother or sister is vital to their health and growth.

And this is what the support of friends like you makes possible.

Your support is immeasurable, both in the short and long term.

On behalf of the children like Castiel and Grace, God bless you for giving generously so vulnerable brothers and sisters can stay together and grow together within Hope’s safe, loving, Christ-centered family.

We’re so deeply grateful for you!

I’ll help siblings stay together!