February 2020
Extraordinary Acts of Love: Siblings Raising Siblings
This Valentine’s Day, we want to acknowledge extraordinary acts of love by siblings stepping up to care for their younger siblings. Below are three of their stories. All of these "older" siblings are in their 20's. Think about it: where were you at 22? at 24? These young people are navigating jobs, higher education and building a home while raising younger siblings. We hope you are as moved as we are by these extraordinary young people and the strength, humility and love that they embody. 
"Gianna" is an Army Reserve Veteran and the oldest of seven siblings. Her parents struggled with chronic homelessness, frequently leaving the children in unsafe environments. As the oldest, Gianna was a rock for her siblings -- regularly stepping in to avert crisis. When Gianna was deployed to the Middle East, her parents fell apart. When Gianna returned to the U.S., she received a call from child protective services asking her to take in her siblings. The family was again homeless and her parents were increasingly unsafe and unstable.

Gianna set aside her own plans in order to protect and nurture her siblings. She is now their legal guardian and they share a stable, safe home. The children are in school. Gianna sets the goal high in helping her siblings face the many challenges of growing up without able parents. She is helping her younger siblings to adjust to structure and stability with love. Gianna is serving as a role model after serving her country.
When "Danielle" was 15, her brother was murdered. Grief consumed her mother and Danielle went to live with her older sister. While the sisters processed their own grief and loss, they took care of each other though the homicide continued to take a toll on the family. Just a few years later, Danielle’s older sister died by suicide, leaving a young daughter without parents.

Danielle never hesitated to make sure her niece had someone by her side. Danielle is raising her niece and is her legal guardian. Danielle’s family has experienced tragedy and found love in the midst. Danielle continues to make sure the youngest are surrounded by kindness and love.
"Sean" was raised by relatives throughout his childhood as his mother struggled with substance abuse and mental health issues. Sean recounts a childhood marked by family violence and emotional abuse. When Sean was in his early 20s, his mother had another son, PJ. PJ was raised by paternal relatives until the DNA test came back: PJ was not related to them and his father is unknown. Sean has been raising his younger half-brother since PJ was one year old.

Sean works long hours to provide for his young family. For Sean, this included navigating threats from an unstable mother. PJ is now five years old, and Sean is his legal guardian. With stability, Sean can now focus on giving his younger brother a better life.
Valentine's Day Angels
Claire is many states away for her freshman year of college but she still put together Valentine Boxes for teens this year! This is the ninth year of Claire organizing her community to share Valentine cheer with youth in foster care. We are so grateful!
We want to send our own valentine to Jennifer and the team at Mattress Firm for donating dozens of mini Valentine packs for kids to share with their classmates! They also included candy, stuffed animals and handwritten notes. Thank you Mattress Firm!
Thank you to the whole team at ThinkHR for putting together 25 Valentine bags! Each bag has candy, snacks, notes and more.