Following jail, father reconnects with son & gains brighter future through Stepping Stones
Hoping to regain his life and his 13-year-old boy’s respect, Brady and his son, Sean, moved into The Salvation Army of Spokane’s Stepping Stones Transitional Housing complex in mid-2020.
The single father had recently been released from jail following some poor decisions on his part. Brady had been separated from Sean for five years. While he was behind bars, his son’s mother was killed in an automobile accident. As a result, Sean lived with an aunt who was not equipped to care for him properly.
While in jail, Brady was able to reconnect with his son. After he was released, Brady and Sean reunited. It took a while for Sean to trust his father, but he missed not having a dad. He had already lost his mother, so he prayed that his dad would remain in his life. The hardship that Brady and Sean had gone through gave the father a strong desire to turn his life around and build a stable family unit. Brady was not about to let a second chance go to waste.
During their time at Stepping Stones, Brady and Sean got into counseling. Brady gained employment and took advantage of cooking classes and a financial course. In a year, the father found a small apartment for he and his son. It was a long, hard year, but one that Brady wouldn’t have changed for anything.
Brady was thankful for everything the staff at Stepping Stones had done to help him and Sean get out on their own. Not only was the father happy with the direction of his new life, but he had gained the respect of his son. As Brady said his goodbyes to the staff, he vowed he was going to make up for lost time and give his son the life that he deserved.
If not for The Salvation Army’s generous donors, Brady and Sean’s story would have had a different ending.
Please consider giving a monetary donation to the Stepping Stones program. For more info, or to give a tax-deductible gift, visit www.makingspokanebetter.org