Meet Daniel Farley with wife Tessy and baby Mary Therese, a happy and healthy family of three, going on four, with a past tied to Hephzibah.
As a child welfare agency, Hephzibah focuses on planting seeds that allow children to thrive long after they are in our care, and we only occasionally hear how things have turned out for them as adults. So, we were especially excited to recently hear from Daniel Farley, one of our former Hephzibah Home residents.
In the spring of 1996, 9-year-old Daniel came to Hephzibah Home. His mother, who was struggling to raise five boys by herself, needed help.
“Back then I thought, ‘why couldn’t I live with my mom? My family? What was wrong with me? What did I do wrong?”, says Daniel. “I had the sense that it was me against the world, but it wasn’t true. I had all the staff at Hephzibah poised and ready to guide me.”
“Yes, Hephzibah provided shelter, food, and education, but they also helped to mold my mind, my attitude, my outlook on life to be one of positivity and hope,” Daniel recently wrote. “I unquestionably credit Hephzibah as the driving force that helped me survive ‘the system’ as a child and become a contributing member of society.”
After Hephzibah and two foster homes, Daniel was eventually reunited with his mom and went on to be the first of his brothers to graduate college from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Daniel now lives in Madison, Wisconsin, where he works as a project manager for a prominent electronic medical record vendor and he and his wife are expecting their second child.
We hope all the children in our care leave Hephzibah Home having begun the healing process, and that they have developed a sense of hope and optimism for their future, just like Daniel did.
We are proud of all our Hephzibah kids, and our work helping young children heal is only made possible through the generosity of hundreds of individuals like you who give what they can. What can you give?
This year, all donations made through December 31 will be matched dollar for dollar, thanks to our board and some anonymous donors. Please donate today.
Thank you for supporting Hephzibah’s work with children and families.
P.S. If you are looking for an additional way to give and promote giving this holiday season, consider creating and sharing your personal fundraising page for Hephzibah!
Pictured above: Young Daniel Farley in the late 1990s.