News Posted On Mar 01, 2021

Trista's and Angela's Story

Trista was shocked the day her oldest sister called her from prison. She asked Trista to care for her baby, Briella, when she would be born. “I knew that Briella would be taken, and my sister would be sent back to the prison after she gave birth. So,…

News Posted On Feb 01, 2021

Joan's Story

Colleen is one of our community Roots and Wings workers. She was introduced to a family and met with Joan, a single mother struggling with her two sons. Joan described her oldest son Greg, 13-years-old, as often angry and violent. She worried about Matt,…

News Posted On Jan 01, 2021

Crystal's Story

Crystal was caring for her grandchildren when her world turned upside down. She had been sober for sixteen years but was accused of using drugs and alcohol. The next day her grandchildren were taken into care. Nobody believed Crystal and the pain turned…

News Posted On Oct 01, 2020

Blue's Story

When Blue was in the fifth grade, she and her mother, Emily, moved to the Spruce Avenue community. It wasn’t easy for her to leave her current school as she didn’t get to see her friends as often as she had hoped. Blue recalls that time as “tough”…

News Posted On Sep 01, 2020

Katelynn's Story

Katelynn became familiar with the All In For Youth program while in Junior High school. Having had a good experience, she chose to attend Eastglen High school to access the program. She joined the head start to high school summer camp before school…

News Posted On Aug 01, 2020

Jessica's Story

Two days before her eleventh birthday, Jessica’s father passed away in a motorcycle accident. Then five years later, her mother succumbed to brain cancer. Her mother was diagnosed when Jessica was three and was sick for thirteen years. Jessica was…

News Posted On Jul 01, 2020

Nataz's Story

At the age of seventeen, Nataz was transitioning out of foster care and into her own place. Feeling bright-eyed, she was ready to take on any opportunity that was presented to her. A few years later, her social worker introduced her to Natasha, a youth…

News Posted On Feb 24, 2020

Susanne’s Story

Susanne moved to Alberta from New Brunswick in search of a better life. “I was really struggling with life itself, not knowing why—I was just having a hard time doing day-to-day functions,” says Susanne. “I couldn’t get help at home in New…

News Posted On Dec 30, 2019

Mary's Story

Mary was but one of the people drastically affected by the Fort McMurray forest fires. She lost her job that supported her and her stay-at-home husband in Edmonton. Mary was then forced back to Edmonton, a city she was not familiar with. Shortly after…

News Posted On Nov 22, 2019

Trevor’s Story

Vince and Leona had last seen their grandson Trevor when he was 12 years old and visiting them in Ontario during a summer break. After that visit, Vince and Leona had tried to keep in touch with their grandson in Edmonton through Skype. Each time they…

News Posted On Nov 12, 2019

Leanne's Story

Leanne's daughter struggled with her mental health which led to drug addiction and criminal offences. Being in and out of jail, she lost guardianship of her children. Right away, Leanne knew that she wanted to care for her two grandchildren. However,…

News Posted On Aug 27, 2019

Ainsley's Story

Ainsley, a burly and tough security guard, found out how strong he truly was after joining Strive. At first, Ainsley was hesitant to join the therapeutic group for men recommended by his mental health therapist. He didn’t feel comfortable opening up…

News Posted On May 27, 2019

Brittany’s Story

Brittany, 21, recently completed a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Alberta and started her career as a registered nurse. When she was in junior high, she received supports from The Family Centre. “I had been dealing with some…

News Posted On Mar 25, 2019

Kassidy's Story

Kassidy’s entire life was spent in and out of the social service system. Her parents separated three times throughout her childhood before her father moved away. Growing up, Kassidy’s father had a drinking problem and she was never able to build…

News Posted On Oct 15, 2018

Chris’ Story

Chris had been through a lot and was struggling with day-to-day life. As a kid, he was bullied because his father was a police constable. “I was terrorized daily on my way to school which included violence like punching to stop me from getting on…

News Posted On Aug 14, 2018

Michelle’s Story (Roots and Wings)

Michelle was struggling with depression as she was building up the courage to get a divorce. Stuck in an abusive relationship, she felt that she had no control over her life. Even with her husband working out of town Michelle still found herself living…

News Posted On Jul 19, 2018

Teresa’s story (Roots and Wings)

Teresa, a mother of five, had struggled with substance abuse for years, starting with drugs and alcohol at the age of 12. She soon after ran away from home and was sent to Calgary to live with her then step-mom. “My life really took a drastic turn…

News Posted On Feb 20, 2018

Robyn’s story (Healthy Relationships)

"I knew I needed a change because I wasn’t able to cope anymore. I was so broken. I was depressed and felt helpless and out of control of my life. I was incapable of taking care of myself and seeing what was good for me. I was constantly in a heightened…

News Posted On Dec 01, 2017

Elaine’s story

Elaine has been seeing a mental health therapist at The Family Centre for five months, but coming in for the first appointment was not easy for her. “I sat in the parking lot for 40 minutes and did some soul searching before I decided to come in. I…

News Posted On Jul 25, 2017

Trevor’s story