Once a upon a time there was a young girl that grew up in Bradford. It was  hard for her because she didn't know what would happen when walking the streets or if she was left home alone. When she  was about 10 years old her  dad married a woman that she  didn't get along with at all. One day while her father was at work, she was helping her stepmother with supper. When the girl’s father came home that night, her stepmother told him that she wasn’t listening and that the girl was pulling her hair and doing other things to hurt herself. She told him that every day when he got home from work.

On December 18th at 10 o'clock in the morning the girl’s father  and stepmother  picked her  up from her  grandparents’ house where  she spent the night.  When they picked her up, she noticed  a bag of her clothes in the back of the car where she  was sitting, so she asked, “Where are we going?”

“You are going to the STAR program,” her father said.

After he said that, she didn't say anything. So her dad went up a road  and halfway up he stopped and pulled into the parking lot. When he parked, they all got out and went to the door. They pressed the buzzer and then  were let inside the building. When they were in the building there was a woman standing there waiting. The young girl's father had handed the bag of clothes to the women. She said, “Come with me.”

Before the girl went with her she  ran to her father and said, “I LOVE YOU.”

He said “ I know, but go with this nice lady, we will be back soon.”

So she went with the woman and was lead into a room and she said to her, “This is where you will be staying and sleeping”.

The people there had already set up the room for her. When they told her it was dinner time she  came out of the room and there was a whole bunch of teens just like her there waiting in the living room to go to the kitchen.  Everyone had went to the kitchen and ate dinner. After everyone  ate they all had gone  back into the living room and  they went around and introduced themselves to her. Then she introduced herself to them. Before they all  had to go to bed they  played a game in the living room. After finishing the game all the kids  had to go to bed. It was 8:00 pm and they had to wake up for school at 8:00 am. When they got all the kids up, the kids  went and ate breakfast and then changed into their school clothes. When everyone was ready they took the kids  to this tiny room. It was small, had about 12 desks and had a chalkboard in the room.  When the kids walked in the classroom by the door there  was a woman standing there greeting everyone when they walked in. All the students had sat at a desk. Everyone was in a different grade so they  all had to do something different. When the woman handed the young girl some worksheets she said,  “Hello, I am the teacher. Can you work on this?” So she worked on it. After that day they  did the same thing over the next day until Christmas break.

On December 20th all of the kids were to  write what they would like for Christmas on a piece of paper. The girl had  Written “I wish that I would go home and spend the day with my family.” On Christmas day she woke up and she had a dress on her dresser. She  went out to the living room and she was told,  “your dad dropped this dress off yesterday and told us to have you put it on because he is coming to pick you up to have Christmas with your family.”

She  thought to herself that my Christmas wish came true! By the time she got the dress on her dad was waiting outside the door for her.  The counselor came and got her and took her out to her dad. When she saw her dad she ran and gave him a big hug. After that they  got in the truck and went to her dad's house.When she got there her  grandparents were there waiting for  her. Her grandmother had started to cry because the young girl had been away and her grandmother had not seen her since  the day her dad picked her up from her grandparents. 
After spending some time talking to her  family they ate dinner and then opened presents. After she opened presents her  dad had took her back to the STAR program because she had to be back at 3:00pm. When she  got there her  dad had pressed the buzzer and they had let them  in and a woman came out and got the young girl.  She was sad because her dad said that she would see him again, but that was the last day she  saw her family, because she was put in foster care.  After she had went back she had the same routine every day.

Sometime around February she met these nice people and went on a visit with them. She spent the night at their house and it was fun. When they took her back to the STAR program she  went inside and her counselor told her that these people wanted to take her into their home. The young girl was so excited! Two days before they came to get her she was getting everything around when her counselor came in and told her  they decided not to take the young girl.  She said that's okay, but when she left the room she started to cry.

A couple days before Easter she had  met another set of foster parents and they wanted to take her on a visit over Easter break, so her counselor let them. They had took her  back that day. Her counselor told her that they wanted to have more visits with her. The visits went on for a while, but then on April 27, they had picked her up and she started to live with them.

They young girl in the story is me. I have been with them for almost five years now. I am glad that I met these people because if it wasn't for them I would still be in foster care. When I was 14 years old, they obtained legal guardianship of me. The couple had three kids that were siblings that came and stayed with us for a long time. The brother and one sister had moved to a different foster home, but my guardians had adopted the siblings older  sister. All the siblings still stay in contact and love to talk to each other. 

When I moved in with my new family, I started to go  to church.  I am glad I am with these people because if I wasn't with them I would be in a shelter. I love and care about my new family. I have made a lot of mistakes and I wish I could take all the mistakes that I have made  back, but I can't. I can only continue to strive to become a better person.

Living with Rick and Dawn feels like where I am supposed to be. When I am in school I feel like I can be me, which makes me happy because when I lived in Bradford I had to be someone I wasn't. But being here I can express myself and be who I want to be without anyone judging me. Living with Rick and Dawn has taught me that you don't have to share the same blood to be loved. When I moved with Rick and Dawn I thought that my dad would want me back, but I am glad he didn't because I wouldn't be the person I am today. I am stronger and  happier than I was before.  I am thankful for what has happened because I wouldn’t be telling  this to  you and I wouldn't be able to express the person I am today.