Frightened girl upon entering Sally's House leaves with a smile
A frightened young girl name Lucy arrived at The Salvation Army's Sally's House in Spokane by CPS after experiencing the unimaginable.
Her mother’s current boyfriend had punched Lucy not only in the face, but also in the stomach where a feeding tube had been for the last two years. And Lucy was still only two years old!! She was dealing with an illness.
When Lucy entered Sally’s House, the social workers disclosed that Mom was still with the boyfriend who had hurt Lucy, among other things. It would be an understatement to say that Lucy had seen and/or experienced things that most of us can’t imagine!
Staff at Sally’s House rallied around this precious life and made sure that Lucy was surrounded by things that made her feel safe, starting with new clean clothes that fit. What she arrived at this short-term foster care placement program, Lucy was wearing clothes that didn’t fit properly and were dirty and smelly.
The staff learned what Lucy’s favorite foods were and incorporated them into the menu frequently so that she would begin to get the calories she needed. Staff also made sure that her medical needs were taken care of daily.
One day, Lucy began acting out, as though she was testing to see if she was safe, or if the staff would hurt her like people had previously. It took days and hours of genuine love and support for the Sally’s House staff to show this young life that she was safe, loved, and valued.
Eventually, Lucy began to come out of her shell and converse. She was a very smart girl who tried to express herself with words and actions. As each day passed, the staff got to see more of the real Lucy; a smart girl who loved the color purple, any item covered in glitter, and singing in the bathtub at the top of her lungs.
While Lucy was at Sally’s House, her social worker found her biological father whom she had never met. Fortunately, this man wanted to raise his little girl.
Lucy came to Sally’s House a hurting, scared, unsure little girl. However, she left knowing what it meant to be loved and valued. And the smile on her face as she left Sally’s House proved it!
Sally’s House is the only emergency foster care placement program in Eastern Washington for children, ages 2-12, who have been physically or sexually abused, abandoned, neglected, or found in a home with criminal activity.
If you believe in how Sally’s House is making a positive difference in young lives, please consider making a financial gift to help make positive changes in today’s children. You can make a tax-deductible donation by visiting www.makingspokanebetter.org and clicking on Donate to this Community. Please include that your gift is for ‘use at Sally’s House Spokane.