West Virginia: Andre entered West Virginia’s foster care system at just 10 years old after his mother suddenly passed away. He never knew his father, just that parental rights were terminated, and as Andre grew older, he moved through multiple foster homes before eventually landing in shelter care without any family connections.
Andre needed more than a placement. He needed a community.
Through a Family Seeing session with his care team, including Alex, Aetna West Virginia, and Kristy, shelter care manager, Andre shared what he could remember about siblings and relatives from his mother’s side and Rachel, one meaningful adult from his childhood church who had shown him kindness.
With only fragments of information, Alex used Connect Our Kids’ Family Connections software to search and build a case. What she found was powerful: not only maternal relatives, but an entire paternal family Andre never knew existed! Even learning they were out there gave Andre something he hadn’t had in years–a sense of belonging.
Alex didn’t stop there. Within 48 hours, she also located the kind woman from Andre’s church. Andre and Rachel reconnected almost immediately. Phone calls turned into visits, and recently, Andre had his first overnight stay. The team is now pursuing a home study so Andre can live with her permanently. It’s important to note that the main goal of Family Seeing isn’t always to find a placement, but to instead build a network of support around a youth who was otherwise alone.
This is what connection can do. Connections create belonging.
This is what generosity makes possible.
Every child deserves someone in their corner.
Help more kids like Andre today: ConnectOurKids.org/donate/.
*Names and any personally identifiable health information have been modified for privacy. Images sourced from royalty-free stock libraries.
