Former Ellen Hines Smith Girls' Home resident speaks out on childhood sexual abuse and the positive impact that Girls' Home and other community advocates made in her success.   To see her 9 minute interview on Channel 7, click here.

The stories below are real stories of our girls. Names and other identifying information has been changed for privacy protection. We are proud of their great success despite difficult circumstances.

Meet "Natalie"- Current Resident

LIKES: Natalie likes things to be neat. She takes great pride in decorating her room with her favorite things and in organizing the common areas of the group home. Her peers have voted her the manager of the home because of her great administrative skills. She is a hard worker, making the honor roll this past year. Recent test scores showed her testing two grade levels above her current school grade. Natalie also shows a lot of care for her peers, often being the first to welcome in a new resident.

WHAT SHE HAS OVERCOME:Natalie entered foster care at the age of fourteen. Her mother died a few years before she entered care and the Department of Social Services removed her from her father's care. When she was removed, she lived with her father in a drug house where a great deal of prostitution of was taking place. She was addicted to multiple drugs, had poor grades due to poor attendance and it was suspected that Natalie was being prostituted out. Many of these behaviors continued when she first entered foster care. After multiple placements, Natalie entered the Girls' Home in late summer, 2008. In the last eight months, she has made amazing strides as evidenced in her likes and her hopes for the future.

HOPES FOR THE FUTURE:  Natalie tested and received her GED and now has plans to enroll in college. Natalie wants to be a nurse- a great way to use her compassion for others, intelligence, and strong administrative skills!