CREATING BRIGHT FUTURES One Child At A Time
Every year, when we complete our annual reviews of our carer families, we ask them what it is that keeps them involved. This is what some of them told us this year.* I want to be involved in order to be a consistent source of support for Tom; to give him alternative experiences to the ones he has at home. Being able to watch Kylie grow has been fantastic – seeing her become more confident and comfortable in social settings is a great experience. The relationship between my children and the boys is incredibly trusting and strong – they’re a part of the family and will always be welcome in our home. Niall loves being the big brother to Jessie and James and taking the boys fishing – our older sons live out of home but often come to visit the boys on the weekends. My daughter is Jane’s best friend. She teaches dance and Jane loves going to classes with her. My son is getting older and isn’t always around when Jane comes to visit but when she does the first thing she asks to do is bake him a cake. We couldn’t imagine life without Catie. She’s family. We love her company and watching her grow – we’re so grateful to have her in our lives. We weren’t sure what it would be like to be part of Time for Kids, but the relationship that’s been formed between Ben and our family is fun and rewarding – our family is learning a lot too. I adore Tilly and love her like my own– I couldn’t imagine her not being in my life. As long as Tilly wants me in her life, I’ll be there, helping her in working towards a bright future. Christy and Jason have stolen my heart – I only wish I could have more time to spend with them.
I was beginning to wonder whether I was making a difference in Kayla’s life – the visits are less frequent and I worried that the impact of our relationship with her was lessening. But last weekend I was reading a book during a visit and Kayla told me that she loves me. I realised then that we were in it for the long haul. The benefits from the program are mutual – spending time with Rose encourages me to keep having new experiences myself. I love being able to share happy memories of activities from my own childhood with Rose, through the things we do together. My son grew up with two of my previous Time for Kids kids. They are firm friends to this day and one was recently best man at my son’s wedding.
And last but not least, here’s a note that we received from one of our birth mums this year. She wrote to us out of the blue, to pass on her thanks for the impact that Time for Kids has had on her son’s life. We told you about Thomas and his placement in last year’s annual report, so this is something of an update. Thomas has benefited greatly from the time he has spent with his big brother and sister. He really enjoys their company and idolises big Thomas. The company is enjoyed plus he gets to play a variety of games, learns new skills e.g. cooking and craft, sports, outings, bricktopia and the airforce show, all sorts of good stuff. Plus he has good role models. Easter and birthdays are always acknowledged with a wonderful gift. We are so grateful and thankful for our wonderful couple. Thank you. Mum (Tanya) and Thomas PS: Thomas has had the opportunity to participate in things that he would normally not be able to do due to my poor health and low income. *All names in this annual report have been changed where required to protect our children’s privacy.