This is the story of a Florence Crittenton client that came to us originally as a pregnant
teen who was placed in state’s custody due to severe neglect. The state deemed her
unable to care for the baby because of her own lack of maturity. She has been with FCA for 2.5 years. This is her success story in her own words. This testimony shows how these "throw-away" children fare in our everyday world and how intervention can make such a dramatic difference. Meet Dionne:
My name is Dionne and I would like to tell you about my life. I came to Crittenton Agency because I was pregnant. I didn’t want to have a child because I was young. I didn’t believe in abortion so as time went by I adapted to the child that was developing in me. I was lonely and it was my first time being away from home. I had no choice but to move from my home in Chattanooga and come to Knoxville.
A couple of months after giving birth to my daughter she was taken away from me. After she left I didn’t want to live anymore. I thought there was no point in living. I didn’t even feel like eating cause that little person I carried for nine months and bonded with was gone. I thought there was no use in life until a couple of days later after my baby left my lawyer called me and told me I had a chance of getting her back. I got out immediately and found a job at McDonald’s in order to keep my mind on something constructive while waiting an agonizingly long time on postponed court dates.
Due to the fact that my little girl was no longer with me I had to make another move. I had wanted to go into the independent living section of The Florence Crittenton Agency because it would be in the same building but I wasn’t old enough, I was only 15 and you had to be 16. I maintained my job at McDonald’s for a couple of months. I also earned the privilege to attend Walker Academy instead of going to the Agency’s school.
At the time I was in the ninth grade. I had strong faith that I could get my little girl back, but that all changed when court was getting cancelled. I quit my job because I thought I was going back home to Chattanooga. I couldn’t because I had to wait until the case was decided in Knoxville. Court was delayed for days, weeks, and then months. Before I knew it I was allowed to see my little girl once a week and sometimes when she was sick my visit would be every two weeks.
When I came to Barrett Hall I had a bad temper, if someone said anything I didn’t like I would snap. When I was in Barrett Hall I stayed on campus while all the other girls went on passes. It wasn’t because of me, I was a good client; I stayed on higher levels. It was because of the situation with my little girl. It was a year in Barrett Hall before I went on pass. I started getting passes with my Aunt Jeanette. I had gotten taken away from my mother when I was 14. The reason I was taken away was because she neglected me. I was left pregnant in an empty house without food, and water. In a way, I blame myself because my mother told me I needed to find a place to go, but I didn’t, I just stayed there alone.
My mother was in and out of jail. She was on drugs really bad, she was stressed out and depressed because all her children had been taken away from her. She keeps in touch with us now, but before we wouldn’t hear from her. My mom had gotten beaten on by her boyfriends very badly, she was living on the streets and with different people for about a year. My mother wasn’t there for my daughter or me - but everyday she regrets the fact she was not there and she is now making up for lost time. She is trying to get us all back together now.
Things for me are different now. I have changed by opening up my heart to people that wanted to help me. I have changed the way I look at myself now. At first, I thought everyone was trying to take my mother’s place, but now I know everyone was just trying to help me through my tough times. I am a peer mentor, who is someone
who talks to the peers about not running away and how not to get upset all the time. I will be discharged soon. I am still trying to be reunited with my baby, I have gotten accepted to Chattanooga Technical Community College. I want to volunteer to help people and animals.
My plans for the future are to be reunited with my family, get an apartment and a degree in cosmetology, to go to parenting classes so I can be a good mother and care for my daughter. I plan on keeping in touch with FCA so I can thank everyone who has helped me succeed in life. Things are so different for me now. Now I have a chance.
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