Linda and Amelia
Children’s Home Network’s history of caring for children in crisis began 22 years after the end of the Civil War. A deeply caring woman, Miss Carrie Hammerly, began tending to orphaned and abandoned children in the Tampa community and in 1892 she purchased a home to better meet the needs of the children, thus beginning the legacy of Children’s Home Network. Over the past 131 years, Miss Hammerly’s compassion and vision continues to drive the mission of CHN, an organization that now serves nearly 7,000 children and adults each year.
Today, we are a comprehensive network of programs and services that target child safety, care, and healing as well as offering educational and behavioral supports. The ability to grow with the need of the community is thanks to our generous supporters such as yourself. Additionally, CHN wraps around the nexus of child well-being: the family. Because of your help, we provide support, interventions, resources, and assistance that help caregivers nurture their children and help them grow into healthy and successful adults. Since our small beginnings in 1892, and now being recognized as a model for other child welfare nonprofits, we are very grateful to you for helping us expand our impact, reach, and services.
At CHN, we believe that every child needs a loving family to grow up in, and that ‘families’ are often grandparents, extended family members, and persons close to the child. Raising someone else’s child, even when they are related and known to you, can be a challenge, as can working within a complex child welfare system. CHN’s Kinship program provides support to relative caregivers by helping families connect to necessary services, expanding family support systems, and reducing stressors. The Kinship program is nationally recognized and is now an evidence-based practice.
Linda is the mother of an adult daughter who struggled with a serious substance abuse addiction. The substance abuse led to her neglecting home life and most importantly, her 6 year old daughter, Amelia. Amelia was removed by Protective Investigators and placed into Linda and her husband Tom’s care. Having not anticipating becoming parents to their granddaughter, the family was not prepared to manage Amelia’strauma related needs, or to work with a large child welfare system, courts and the many professionals that would now become a part of their daily lives. Fortunately, they were referred to CHN’s Kinship program and they immediately received tangible resources and much needed support for navigating the system. Linda stepped up for the ones she loves, ensuring her granddaughter would not spend another holiday in a traumatic situation. That was seven years ago and Amelia is now 13. Although she had many emotional, behavioral and medical needs over the years, she has thrived in her grandparents care. Linda is now a member of the CHN Kinship team, providing Peer Support and assistance to hundreds of families in similar situations every year. Linda is an example of starting new traditions and sharing experience and kindness to those in need.
*The names in this story have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the children in our care.
