Contributing to our Fall Sign of Hope appeal allows our Agency to continue providing new avenues of hope for children and youth, who are in need of specialized services that allow them to be understood and cared for. Ministries such as our McDaniel Youth ministry allow children, like Lorraine, to understand her uniqueness, while learning new ways of living more comfortably in her own skin.

Lorraine was diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) at the age of nine. “I remember I couldn’t tie my shoes,” she recalled on the limitations she has faced since the diagnosis.

Lorraine had known she was different, but she couldn’t accept it. She had often felt people judging her and at times, was even bullied at school by her peers.

To seek help, Lorraine’s adoptive parents registered with the Coaching Families ministry, where they were provided with the necessary resources needed to raise a child with FASD. Mentors of this ministry recommended that Lorraine enrol in the McDaniel Youth ministry, which provides one-on-one mentorship for youths struggling with FASD.

After three years with her mentor, Linda, Lorraine admitted she’s “changed a lot.” “Trust is a really big thing,” she said, noting that her mentor has achieved just that. “I can tell her anything now.”

With help from her mentor Linda, Lorraine has learned to accept her disability. She now wants to help others do the same by working with troubled teens and doing some public speaking. Her motivation for wanting to help others, she said, is because of Linda.

*Names have been changed to the protect the privacy of our client