Meet Gregory
Imagine being subjected to years of physical and emotional abuse by your mother, including being told regularly that she wishes you’d never been born. For reasons you can’t understand, your mother sometimes locks you out of the house and you have to spend the night on the street. Because of your mother’s erratic behavior you are isolated from potential friends. This is your life until a neighbor calls the police because you are sleeping outside. Then you are taken into foster care.
Imagine walking into a courtroom with a judge sitting high up on a bench and nine other adults who you’ve never seen before. You don’t know who they are, but you know they are here to talk about your life. You are relieved when Mary, your City CASA advocate leans over and explains what’s happening. You hear Ashley, your guardian ad litem (a Voices child advocacy attorney) recommend to the judge that you be placed with your great aunt, which is what you told Mary and Ashley you wanted.
Over the next six months in foster case, your life starts to turn around. You start living with your great aunt, but you struggle with your behavior at school and at home. Based on Mary’s recommendation, you receive a psychological evaluation and therapeutic services. You develop a good relationship with your therapist who helps you cope with the years of abuse and neglect.
Your team of Voices advocates - Mary and Ashley - can see that you are happier. You are starting to relax in the stability of your great aunt’s home. At one of your CASA advocate’s monthly visits, you express interest in joining the middle school football team. Your mother had refused to let you participate.
After joining the football team and working very hard, you are named Defensive Player of the Year and your pride in yourself soars. The painful scars from your past are beginning to heal with help from your therapist. You share with your CASA advocate before the next hearing that your new vision for the future is to graduate from high school, go to college and play football for the Missouri Tigers.
Your great aunt comments that you are more responsible, respectful and outgoing. And she is hoping to adopt you.
