Loving Support Leads to Academic Excellence

At the age of 9, Rob and his younger brother were removed from the care of their biological mom due to neglect, substance abuse and traumatic exposure. It was not possible for the brothers to be placed together.

Rob came to our foster care program where he could receive the services necessary to help him succeed. After several placements, our staff found the appropriate foster home and parents for Rob and his brother. Upon arrival, Rob demonstrated severe academic challenges in regards to behavior and developmental delays. With the stable, secure and loving environment provided by his foster mom and dad, he progressed beyond expectations and successfully integrated into his school population both academically and socially.

His foster parents attained Guardianships for both Rob and his brother, a permanency of great import in facilitating his aspirations and achievements. He overcame his adversities and mastered the challenges threatening to block his way, and graduated from high school. A further sample of his development was his senior project of completing a Marathon. Rob trained for several months while documenting the process. In addition, he was an active member of the school tennis team. Through a combination of school, athletics, family and his church affiliation, Rob established a strong support group to bolster his pride and considerable abilities. He enrolled in community college and his goal is to complete his associate's degree and progress to obtaining his bachelor's degree at Western Washington University

Permanency, Sports & College

"Terry" is a Seattle area African American child who went thru numerous foster home placements and struggled thru school. Finding a permanent foster home where he felt appreciated was a pivotal point in his life. Currently , he has been with his current family six years. Thru sports camps and athletic equipment paid by Secret Harbor, his interest in school was invigorated. He is currently a senior in high school in the Skagit Valley with a 3.2 GPA and has had multiple athletic scholarship offers. He has accepted a scholarship to a college in Oregon. In addition, he is the first person from his bio family to graduate high school.

Autistic Children Remain with Adopted Family

Over a 6 month period, Secret Harbor had the challenge of working within the home of a very committed and caring single mother . She had three adopted , autistic children with significant special needs. Over the years this woman was faced with the heart-wrenching loss of her husband and son. She needed to act as an assertive advocate for her autistic children, ages 16 to 18 . The mother had learned to effectively parent her special needs children. These adolescents were unable to do basic tasks such as bathing, brushing teeth and dressing independently. Mom had worked tirelessly to meet the never ending needs of her family.
When Secret Harbor entered the picture, Mom was facing endless scrutiny and expectations from Child Protective Services and the educational system. The family was at a crossroads. As the children were getting older, their behaviors were more difficult to manage and the mom was fearful of losing her family that she had fought hard to preserve. We coordinated support to provide help in the home during difficult times. Case aides were scheduled to allow the mother to spend quality time with each child individually and provide time for her to receive services to help address her emotional needs. Secret Harbor helped organize her home and provided a clean up crew to assist with a yard which had fallen into neglect.
Initially, there was a level of apprehension on her part as the agency began to tackle her complex situation. As time passed, the family was able to trust us, realizing that we had a common goal. Initially the state plan was for all of these children to be removed from the home. It is heart warming to see this family together and thriving as they only needed support, services and someone to believe in them.

A Family Reunited

"David" was a 13 year old young man who was originally placed by the state of Washington in Secret Harbor's Residential Treatment program on Cypress Island and transitioned to our Macdonald Home in Anacortes. After considerable progress working hard on his issues, David took a nearly unprecedented action of engaging an attorney and petitioned the courts to have his mother's terminated parental rights reinstated. A condition of this action involved David's mother leaving her home in Kentucky and moving to Skagit County to reestablish a relationship with her son. Our Family Connections program in conjunction with the state began work immediately to reunite mother and son.

The agency worked closely with David and his mother for 5 months, providing a case manager who did weekly home visits, attended all school meetings and provided support as needed. Secret Harbor undertook extraordinary efforts including helping pay their rent and other similar measures until David's mother was ready for him to live with her in Skagit County. This treatment was highly individualized and geared to what the family needed to be self-sufficient and independent. A private family therapist was hired to work on family dynamics, communication and parenting. We sent David to horse camp which was very beneficial in helping him to better deal with his anger and other issues. Eventually, the mother and son's relationship progressed to where they could function on their own and with the agency's financial assistance, they moved back to Kentucky. This is the outcome envisioned for Family Connections clients, a family reunited and able to function independently.

Running Towards Success

Secret Harbor serves challenging children who have experienced more than a normal share of hard knocks. "Jonathan" was a Native American young man who came to us at the age of fourteen. He exhibited chronic runaway behavior, alcohol and drug use problems and was not attending school. With hard work on his own behalf and support, mentoring and the work of our staff, Jonathan found success as an eighth grader in Middle School. He was well liked by both peers and teaching staff. He engaged successfully in the sports of cross-country, wrestling and track. In addition, Jonathan was honored by his school teachers and counselors as the student of the month for his leadership abilities, hard work and willingness to help other students.

Because There Is No Place Like Home

"I depend on her and I can count on her. She makes my life much easier," says Vivian, a client of Companions & Care, the Senior Services Division of Secret Harbor.

Our mission is to help seniors and people with disabilities live safely and independently in their own homes. We provide an array of non-medical services; meal planning and preparation, light housekeeping, transportation, bill paying, help with pet care, whatever it takes. Sometimes that can just mean companionship.

Vivian is a good example. Her caretaker Nancy helps with household chores and takes Vivian on walks but she especially treasures her card games. "Vivian taught me how to play rummy and she beats me every time," .

89-year-old Vivian, a Skagit Valley native, grew up and lived in the same house until she married and moved in with her husband who lived nearby. They raised three children in that home where she still lives.

"We want to try to keep Gram in her home as long as we can," says daughter-in-law Shelah. "We thank you for your caring and loving support for her. You have been a blessing in our lives and hers."

Any profits from our Senior Services Division support our Childrens' Programs.

For more information, please call us at (360) 293-5151 or www.companionsandcare.org