When Danielle first connected with Kindred Connections, her twin boys were just six months old. She was a single mother, newly finishing a recovery program and working hard to build a stable life for herself and her two little boys. She was determined to give her children a safe and loving home, but sometimes, even the strongest parents need someone to walk beside them.
That is where Kindred Connections came in.
Over the next few years, Danielle and her boys would experience some of life’s hardest moments. When Danielle needed a knee replacement and developed an infection following surgery, she suddenly found herself unable to care for her young children. Her boys spent three weeks with Kindred Connections volunteers while she recovered.
For Danielle, that support meant more than having someone care for her children. It gave her the space to heal without having to worry about whether her boys were safe.
“I had a lot of support from Hillary and the volunteers,” Danielle shared. The support continued as life brought new challenges. When Danielle underwent weight-loss surgery when the boys were a year old, Kindred Connections was there again, caring for the boys for a week. Volunteers also stepped in for shorter periods when Danielle simply needed a little respite or help with childcare.
The need for Kindred Connections wasn’t always something as dramatic as surgery or a major crisis. Sometimes it was simply being a mom to two energetic little boys.
As a single mother raising twins, there were things Danielle couldn’t easily do on her own. When the boys wanted to ride bikes, volunteers could come alongside them. When Danielle needed help, they were there. When her own mother became sick and Danielle needed to be available to help her, volunteers stepped in and cared for the boys.
Danielle said the relationship between the boys and the volunteers became more than occasional childcare. It became a genuine connection. She said it felt like she had family support even though her relatives were in other states.
The boys will turn three in October and have formed close relationships with Kindred Connections volunteers and staff. They know their families, their animals, and their homes. The volunteers have celebrated birthdays with them, checked in on them, and watched them grow. Danielle still sends pictures and updates because these people have become part of her family’s story. Danielle has watched them grow up surrounded by people who care about them and feels lucky to have the community support.
Kindred Connections has also helped in the everyday ways that make a tremendous difference for a young family by providing diapers, wipes, and other necessities when needed.
What began as a referral during a difficult season became something much bigger: a network of people Danielle could count on.
Today, Danielle is able to have the opportunity to give back. “I have donated things that I can give back that the boys have grown out of” she shared.
It is a simple statement, but it captures something powerful about the Kindred Connections model. Support doesn’t always end when a crisis is over. Sometimes, receiving help gives a person the opportunity to one day become a source of help for someone else.
Danielle needed someone to stand beside her.
Kindred Connections did.
And in doing so, they didn’t just help a mother through difficult moments. They helped create a circle of support around two little boys and gave one family the reassurance that, when life gets hard, they don’t have to face it alone.