Cindy grew up without the protection most take for granted in childhood. She and her sister were exposed to drugs, alcohol, verbal and physical abuse at very young ages. Her mom brought them with her to crack houses or when she prostituted herself. At age 7, Cindy was raped. It began a pattern of men molesting her throughout her childhood. "To distract myself," remembers Cindy, "I created my own imaginary world where everything was happy and safe. Eventually, I turned to alcohol to dull the pain. By 18, I was stripping. By 20, I was prostituting myself, and then I got pregnant." Alone, she had nowhere to go for help. But hope was just around the corner...
One day, outside the DCF office, a stranger walked up to her and told her about His Caring Place. Right there, in the parking lot, she prayed to God and asked for forgiveness and a new life. "I found that new life at His Caring Place," she remembers. For the first time, she saw a stable, loving family, and she knew that was what she wanted for her daughter, Cloe. Now she is working and pursuing her education. "With God's help, I am breaking the cycle of my grandmother not being a mother to my mom, and my mom not being a mother to me. This cycle of neglect has stopped with me."
Cindy grew up without the protection most take for granted in childhood. She and her sister were exposed to drugs, alcohol, verbal and physical abuse at very young ages. Her mom brought them with her to crack houses or when she prostituted herself. At age 7, Cindy was raped. It began a pattern of men molesting her throughout her childhood. "To distract myself," remembers Cindy, "I created my own imaginary world where everything was happy and safe. Eventually, I turned to alcohol to dull the pain. By 18, I was stripping. By 20, I was prostituting myself, and then I got pregnant." Alone, she had nowhere to go for help. But hope was just around the corner...
One day, outside the DCF office, a stranger walked up to her and told her about His Caring Place. Right there, in the parking lot, she prayed to God and asked for forgiveness and a new life. "I found that new life at His Caring Place," she remembers. For the first time, she saw a stable, loving family, and she knew that was what she wanted for her daughter, Cloe. Now she is working and pursuing her education. "With God's help, I am breaking the cycle of my grandmother not being a mother to my mom, and my mom not being a mother to me. This cycle of neglect has stopped with me."