Marc and Dequan’s story began in 2016 when Dequan came into our care at age 13 after traumatic events happened at home. Reserved and quiet, Dequan did not know what to expect or who he could trust. Then he met Marc, a Case Coordinator at Place of Hope, and the two...
Tonya came into Place of Hope’s care when she was a teenager after a friend notified local police of abuse at home. Prior to coming into our care, she involved herself as much as possible in school programs to avoid the harsh circumstances of her home life. Upon...
Samson and his younger sister came into Place of Hope’s care when they were teens due to violence in their home. Samson’s football coach had noticed a change in his behavior and appearance, which lead him to look into Samson’s home life. Throughout the transition,...
The children and youth at Place of Hope have experienced tragedies of abuse and neglect. Will and Dorson were living on the street, Rasool was not eating, Kerri was exposed to drugs and an unsafe lifestyle, Josh was abused and witnessed the abuse of his younger...
Last Fall Travis and Michelle were in the process of adopting the child who was placed with them. Travis felt that they should take a few months “off” from taking in any more children. The holidays were quickly approaching and his work load was increasing, life was...
Luke, Jenny and their two daughters, Ellie and Kira, began their fostering journey with Place of Hope about five years ago. They adopted their second placement, Jax, after having him in their home for more than a year. Luke and Jenny then had a seven-week-old boy...
Growing up, Will and his brother were forced to live in motels and bounced from one abandoned home to the other after their mom lost her job. In 2008, the boys were brought to Place of Hope. Will was given a scholarship to Jupiter Christian School where he played...
Tiffany came into the care of Joann’s Cottage at twenty-two years old. She decided that she wanted to live life independently and pursue her dreams. Pregnant, with no job or car, all of the odds seemed to be stacked against her. When Tiffany first arrived at Joann’s...
Rasool was born in Iraq where he lived until he was nine years old. His family moved to Lebanon, then three years later, to the United States. Rasool was scared and did not know what to expect in America. When Rasool’s family arrived in Florida, they fell on hardship....
At a very young age Kerri’s dad passed away and her mother fell into a life controlled by drugs and alcohol. Kerri found herself in an extremely unstable environment and always had a spirit of fear. When she was home she never knew who would be coming into her house....
After his mom lost her job, Dorson was living on the streets. Trying to stay together as a family, he, along with his brother and mother, constantly moved back and forth between hotels, abandoned buildings and family’s homes. With nowhere to turn and no income, they...
At the age of 18, Ryan became homeless. Forced to leave their home, he and his father had no place to go. Ryan spent his last semester of high school bouncing from one friend’s home to another, constantly feeling uncertain of where he might go next. Over time he ran...
Mary was taken from her parents at the age of four due to violence in the home. She and her three siblings were placed with their grandmother. Shortly after, her grandmother found out she had cancer so Mary and her siblings had to be separated until they could locate...
Neglected by her mom, Mariah was adopted by her grandmother at age three and lived with her until she got sick and passed away. After a short stay with her aunt and uncle, Mariah came to live at Place of Hope when she was 16. She recalls her very first day at Place of...
"When I was 14 years old I thought I had found love. He showed me all the attention I wanted, told me I was beautiful and that he loved me. It was not long before he began selling me multiple times a night and would take all the money earned - I had nothing. I was...
"Before I arrived at Place of Hope I was frequently moved from foster home to foster home. Place of Hope provided me the stability needed in a child’s life. I arrived at Place of Hope when I was seven years old and stayed until I was fifteen. During my nearly nine...
At the age of 19, Del’Monte had aged out of a local group home and was trying to make it on his own. After being accepted into Villages of Hope, Del’Monte now had a safe place to call home and the support system he needed. He quickly set goals and was determined to...
"My brother Shawn and I bounced around from home to home until we were taken in by Place of Hope in 2006. During our first few months there, we frequently acted out in anger because we had been hurt and disappointed by every adult we had ever known. Our Cottage...
As a young boy, Gychnayder (“G”) came to the United States from Haiti to live with his aunt. They had very little and eventually G’s aunt could no longer afford to take care of him. As a teenager, he found himself homeless. G’s basketball coach recognized that he was...
"My younger brother and I were removed from our home when I was eight years old. For several years we bounced around between shelters and relatives’ homes. Finally when I was 12 years old we were brought to live at Place of Hope. It was a difficult adjustment for me...
"I came to live at Place of Hope when I was 12 years old. It was hard for me, to be taken out of my home and brought to a brand new place; but from the very first week, I knew that Place of Hope was going to be a good place for me. I was able to grow and learn in ways...
"I came to Place of Hope with my older brother and younger sister, when I was in third grade. I had been at Place of Hope for six years when God brought the Cannons, my forever family, into my life. I really did not think I would ever be adopted. Then one day our...
Jeannie was kicked out of her house when she was eighteen years old. She was pregnant and living in her car, with nowhere to go and no one to turn to for help. The future for Jeannie and her baby seemed so hopeless and uncertain, until she heard about Joann's Cottage....
"Everyone calls me Mira. I am a 17 year old girl and have been at Place of Hope for two and a half years. I had to come here because my parents were homeless and I was living on the streets. I haven't talked to them since I was taken away from them. When I came here,...
When Monique was 18 years old, she found herself pregnant without any family support. With nowhere to turn, she reached out to Joann's Cottage for help. There, she received food, shelter, and the opportunity to regain stability in her life. While she was at Joann's,...
Katie is a 12 year girl who came to Place of Hope due to neglect and substance abuse. This is the third time she has been in care. Katie and her siblings had a traumatic childhood as they were often forced to steal or beg for food and sporadically lived on the streets...
Mick was born to a teen mother and came into care because his mother tried to severely hurt him on several occasions. His grandmother was unable to keep him safe from his mother so he was placed into one of our foster homes. The amazing foster parents have loved and...
Growing up, Wesley never knew his father. When he was 15 years old, Wesley and his brother were taken away from their mother because of abuse and neglect. They were moved around to many different foster homes, and as a result, Wesley fell behind a lot in school. This...
"My name is Dawn, and this is my story…I left my home when I was 21 years old. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with my life and didn't know how to live on my own. I went to Villages of Hope and was given opportunities to grow and thrive from day one. Through...