DePaul Community Resources Expressions Newsletter XXXIII-2

sponsored by Pinnacle Financial Partners

Volume XXIII • Number 2 • Fall-Winter 2025

IN THIS ISSUE: Looking Back With Love Finding Joy and Peace

As leaves fall and crisp winds sweep in, I’m reminded that change is always around us—in nature, in our communities, and in the lives we touch. In times of transition, one truth remains steady: “It takes a village.” At DePaul, this isn’t just a phrase; it’s a truth we live every day, thanks to supporters like you. As we look ahead to 2026, DePaul is filled with hope and excitement for all the incredible things we can accomplish together. With your continued support, our village grows stronger, reaches farther, and makes an even greater impact for the children, families, and individuals that depend on us. Thank you for believing in our mission and standing with DePaul. Your support truly changes lives and your generosity made these smiles possible this year. Here’s to a season of gratitude and a future full of possibility.

Renee Brown President and CEO

A VILLAGE OF LOVE and the Power of Your Gift “I always say this is my little village, and I wouldn’t give it up for anything.” When her daughter’s passing and family circumstances left a grandmother caring for 11 grandchildren, the future looked overwhelming and uncertain. But there was no question that this grandmother would find the strength to be there for her family. She simply said, “There’s no other place I could imagine them being.” Her days begin at 5:45 a.m. and end around 10 p.m., filled with pick-ups and drop-offs, homework, dinner, and the quiet strength it takes to help grieving children feel safe and loved. She’s not just raising children—she’s raising hope. And thanks to DePaul’s Kinship Care Program, she doesn’t have to do it alone. The program has been a lifeline for the family. “DePaul has given me support and helped me build trust in people again. They’ve given me a safe haven, and I don’t know what I would have done without them.” This holiday season, you can be part of the village that shows up for people when they need it most. Your gift helps families like hers navigate unimaginable loss and tough circumstances, provides stability, and builds futures filled with hope and belonging.

Your donations make a difference: ❤ Supports kinship caregivers with resources, guidance, and emotional support ❤ Helps youth in foster care and youth who have been adopted access therapy, education, and essentials ❤ Bridge to Hope Funds make sure we can say “yes” when no one else will ❤ Builds a community where no one feels alone, and no caregiver feels forgotten.

Give a gift from the heart. Help us continue this work in 2026. Together, we can lift the weight and share the love.

depaulcr.org/donate

Looking Back With Love Story by Alison Wickline-Burns | Photo by Yellow Tree Photography

“They always showed up for me,” said Brooke. “My entire perspective of the world changed from negative to positive because of them.” Brooke holds immense gratitude for the role her former foster parents, Dollie and Richie, played in her life. They gave her a firm foundation, and that stabil ity, support, and love led her to the happy, fulfilled life she has today. “I got married last year and we have two children, Easton and Marcella,” said Brooke. “My husband and I are remodeling a house on acres of land where we’ll have plenty of room to grow. I currently work in special education. In the future, I plan to get a degree in psychology and would love to open my own coun seling practice.” “It is amazing what all Brooke has accomplished,” said Dollie. “We are humbled knowing that we had a part of that. We love her.” Brooke is proud of her hard work to get here, but she also recognizes that all this progress may not have been possible without her foster parents and without DePaul. When she entered foster care at the age of 16, she left behind an extremely unhealthy home environ ment. She spent some time in a group home and then came to Dollie and Richie’s house carrying a trash bag full of her belongings and the childhood trauma she had been burying. She was fearful and uncertain about

what her future would look like. But the family’s love and the feeling of being safe and cared for made all the difference. “I remember that first day they had my room deco rated just for me with handmade items, some of which I still have today,” said Brooke. “They were so kind and never spiteful … they showed me what a healthy relationship looked like. They always showed up for me even when I made mistakes.” Dollie and Richie didn’t just change Brooke’s life. They have been foster parents with DePaul for 17 years and have welcomed around 25 to 30 kids in their home. “The best part is being able to give kids a loving, stable home and helping them with their needs,” said Dollie. Brooke struggles to imagine what her life would look like today without Dollie and Richie and their family and without DePaul. She sometimes finds it hard to believe that she broke the cycle and the generational trauma stopped with her. Last year, both her biological father, who is sober now, and her foster father Richie walked her down the aisle on her big day. It was a day filled with love and gratitude. She looks back on that day, and all the other days before, with an understanding of the way it shaped her life and with appreciation for the way families, organizations, and communities show up for kids and teens in need.

“My entire perspective of the world changed from negative to positive because of them.”

— BROOKE

4 | FALL-WINTER 2025

Finding Joy and Peace Story by Alison Wickline-Burns | Photos by Joy Shots Photography

You can see the joy in Charles’ smile—joy he finds from music, from shopping, from picnics in parks, and from living in a loving, caring home with Cynthia and her husband, George. Charles may not say many words, but that smile could light up a thousand rooms. “He’s very happy with them and peaceful, like he’s at peace, and he’s able to be himself,” said Catherine, Charles’ aunt. “They include Charles in everything that they do and they make him feel like he is part of their family. I believe they genuinely care for him, and he genuinely cares for them.” Cynthia and George have been part of DePaul’s Sponsored Residential Program for many years. They take their role as compassionate caregivers seriously and give their all to any individual they welcome into their home. “It’s a spiritual blessing,” said Cynthia. “We are here to help each other. And to help each other, you’ve got to put your hands in, you’ve got to put your thoughts in, and to pass that on. We love seeing the process come full circle, where you see

the growth that an individual has. That energizes you to go on to help even more.” They were introduced to Charles a couple years ago. Charles is nonverbal, has autism, and needed total support. DePaul had a feeling that Cynthia and George would be the right fit for him and give him the opportunity to live the fulfilling life he deserved. “He was very reserved and very quiet at first,” said Cynthia. “You could tell he was just trying to figure out where he was and how his life was going to change.” After settling in, Charles blossomed and that thousand-watt smile was back along with some new words like “pizza” and “peace out.” He’s attending day support, having regular calls with his family and relatives, and dancing his heart out to the music at church. “He’s such a lovable person, and he’s always smil ing,” said Catherine. “That’s my wish for him to always be that way, be the caring person that he is and always have laughter in his life.”

“He’s very happy with them and peaceful, like he’s at peace, and he’s able to be himself.”

— CATHERINE

7 | FALL-WINTER 2025

Give a Gift from the Heart this Holiday Season

As we close out 2025, we are thankful for the real and lasting change your generosity has made possible. From warm blankets to college textbooks, your gifts have brought comfort, dignity, and opportunity to those who need it most.

We invite you to help us do even more in the year ahead. Every donation to our Bridge to Hope Fund meets a specific, urgent need like these: ❤ $50 provides therapeutic books that help a child understand adoption, feel safe, and know he is loved by both families. ❤ $65 gives a child in foster care a comforting weighted blanket, helping her feel safe and secure as she adjusts to a new home. ❤ $150 opens doors to education by covering the cost of books for a young adult who grew up in foster care and is now pursuing community college classes through DePaul’s Independent Living Program. ❤ $200 helps provide a foster family with the essentials they need to welcome an infant into their home and provide love and care from day one. ❤ $300 offers hope and healing by helping an individual with a disability cover medical costs she cannot afford on her own. There will be more families to support, more children to comfort, and more futures to build in 2026. With you by our side, we’re ready to meet the moment. Thank you for being part of the work of hope and belonging at DePaul. Wishing you and your loved ones peace, joy, and good health this holiday season.

To make an impactful year-end gift to DePaul Community Resources, please find the envelope enclosed or visit depaulcr.org/donate.