Sandy's Story

Any parent of three young children knows how busy and tiring life can be. But amidst the chaos, Samarah is also very grateful that her children are safe. In 2015, Samarah, her husband, and children came to the United States as refugees. In their home country, they were surrounded by continued conflict and violence. Knowing they couldn't raise their children in those conditions, they left everything familiar behind to settle in Kalamazoo.

Derek took on a father figure role for his younger brother after their dad passed away unexpectedly. Derek was only 14 - his brother was nine. His mother struggled to cope with the loss, and Derek eventually found himself working nights to pay for the things he and his brother needed. All the while maintaining his 3.6 high school GPA.

Eddie figured that the rest of his days were going to be quiet and uneventful. But one day, everything changed. His son's issues with drug abuse had gotten worse. He was barely able to take care of himself let alone his children. Eddie realized that, if he didn't take his grandchildren into his home, they would most likely end up in the foster care system. So he opened his doors and started the journey of raising his grandchildren.