Diane
Diane began the third grade with the reading abilities of a first grader.  With her sweet but tentative and shy personality, she was falling further and further behind, both socially and academically.  Things were tough for her at home:  her father had recently died and her mother was struggling to care for her large family.  After Diane began to receive focused attention from her Student Liaison, she started to blossom into the charming and vivacious little girl she really is.  She joined her school’s dance team and improved her reading and writing skills to the third and fourth grade levels.  Best of all, she is tutoring her little brother at night --- reading him bedtime stories and fostering a love of learning and family right in her own home.  Her little brother is improving, too.  At the beginning of the year school administrators feared he would have to be held back because he was so ill-prepared to begin school.  With Diane's reading and attention, he has made tremendous strides -- catching up with his peers and becoming one of the top kindergarteners in the school.

James
James is a kindergartner who performs well academically and has excellent behavior.  Even so, when A Child's Place first came in contact with James, he was on the brink of suspension from school.  James had not received his necessary immunizations or physical and was not being treated for a ringworm infection that could spread to other students.  The ACP social worker discovered that the family had moved recently to North Carolina to help care for an ill family member and had been living in a hotel for several months.  The family was struggling.  Work schedules, lack of transportation, and unfamiliarity with the area kept them from finding appropriate medical care for James.  The ACP social worker was able to connect them to necessary resources and within a week James received his immunizations and physical and began treatment for his ringworm infection.  The family is now working with their ACP social worker to find better employment and more suitable housing.  James continues to do well in school and is happy to receive his weekly snacks and hugs from his student liaison.

The Martin Family
Imagine being a single father with 7 children: 3 little ones, 1 middle schooler, 2 high school students, 1 new graduate--- one of them suffering a severe heart condition, and all of them struggling to survive without their mother, who abandoned the family.  These were the issues facing Eric Martin, who lost his wife, his job and then his home, while trying valiantly to care for his children.  The family was forced to split up, with the children divided among three locations.  ACP provided multiple resources to Mr. Martin as he strove to reunite his children: Credit counseling helped him organize his finances, his youngest daughter was assigned a school nurse to assist her with her medical needs, and dental services were contributed to the whole family. There was extensive behavioral counseling arranged for the children to help them develop positive coping mechanisms for their bewilderment and anger at the sudden, drastic changes in their lives.  Mr. Martin was able to find good employment, and has already achieved a promotion and a raise; he has been enthusiastic about the support and encouragement his family has received, thanking ACP for “never giving up on me.”  Today, the Martins are celebrating the news that they’ve found a home--- soon they will be together again under one roof!

Anthony and Tom
Anthony and Tom are good students whose mother, Carolyn, has always encouraged and applauded their education.  Carolyn works full time under difficult circumstances to provide her boys with their home and life's necessities.  So, it was especially devastating to lose nearly everything they had in a fire right before Christmas.  With minimal family support available, Carolyn was forced to take her boys to shelters for a week of emergency housing, and then had to double up with an acquaintance while searching for another place to live.  With the assistance of ACP and the kindness of a holiday sponsor, the family was able to find housing within a month.  The children were provided with winter coats, transportation to school and some basic household goods.  Their mother, who was able to somehow maintain her employment throughout the difficult transition, has continued to be the strongest supporter of the boys’ school performance, and they are continuing to do well at their studies.

Nadia
One of the happiest days of Nadia’s young life occurred this year when she actually got her own room after living with her mother and brothers for a full school year in one motel room.  Her mother, who does not own a car, struggled to get her children to school every day and herself to her full-time office job.  ACP coordinated the provision of much needed after-school tutoring, help with transportation, and, to the family’s evident joy, the transition to their own house!  Nadia, who is a well-behaved, delightful child, could hardly contain her excitement at having her own, little brother-free space to play, study and sleep in.  Her big brothers were thrilled by a special opportunity to go to a Bobcats game, and their mother is hugely relieved to finally have a refrigerator, which eases the burden of frequent walks to the grocery store.  There are still some issues to tackle—one of the children is learning disabled and the family still has no car—but having a home of their own has given them a strong start.