Mother's demons cause her to lose daughters
Life was not kind to Adrianna, 6, and her little sister, Annie, 2.
Both girls were voluntarily given to CPS by their mother who worked as an erotic dancer. The mother was doing drugs and entertained men in the home. During this time, Adrianna was looking after her little sister like a parent.
Both girls had been subjected to many unsafe situations. The mother maintained that she loved her daughters, but couldn’t kick her demons and was tired of trying.
With nowhere else to go, both girls came to The Salvation Army’s Sally’s House - the only emergency foster care house in Spokane County for children, ages 2-12. Both Adrianna and Annie were scared and crying for their mommy. The staff tried to comfort both girls by giving each of them clean dry clothes, a new stuffed animal and a blanket to keep forever. Each of them also received two baths due to the amount of dirt that was present on them and in their hair.
On the first night, after the sisters were fed and dressed in pajamas, staff took time to sit and read to them. Sadly, Adrianna later said it was their first bedtime story ever.
Adrianna and Annie spent 90 days at Sally’s House while their social worker tried to find a placement where both girls could remain together. During this time, staff at Sally’s House helped tutor the older sister with the goal of getting her caught up to her age level in education. Adrianna was also allowed to be a child for the first time in her life, as staff encouraged her to play and have fun.
Concerned about her little sister, the staff at Sally’s House originally had to remind Adrianna daily to let the staff care for Annie. After a few weeks, Adrianna began to act more like a girl her age and trusted the staff to help her baby sister. Both girls began to interact more as sisters, instead of mother-daughter.
Once Adrianna was enrolled in school, the Sally’s House staff maintained open communication with the teacher and school counselor to ensure her success. Though it took a lot of work between the school and the staff at Sally’s House, Adrianna finally caught up to her grade level educationally.
By the time they were placed in a loving home, both girls had exhibited positive changes. They played and laughed, knowing they were safe and cared for at Sally’s House.
If not for loving supporters in the Spokane area, there would not have been a Sally’s House for these two young sisters to find refuge. Your contribution to Sally’s House will continue to help children like Adrianna and Annie live a happy and normal life.