Success Story: Madeline, Father’s day Edition

In 2003, one-year-old Madeline’s mother was struggling with drug use. As a result, Madeline was placed with relatives, and her parents were told they couldn’t contact her or see her ever again.

“First two years after we lost her, I cried every day. Every day. My God, what has happened? I battled with that for a longtime. I assumed that was the way it was going to be and I’d have to wait until she was an adult before I could contact her.”

Madeline re-entered foster care when she was sixteen. After a couple months in care, Madeline tracked down her father’s phone number and asked if she could live with him.

“I said absolutely. I had my life great, my life going for me, nice house, so he said absolutely, let’s get the ball rolling.” Chris went above and beyond in what he needed to do to get his daughter back. All this happened while Chris lived out of state, and CASA volunteer Loretta and the CPS worker worked to make sure he had all the information and assistance he needed to navigate the court process.  

Madeline has lived with her dad since school started in 2019. She finished out the school year and graduated from high school in 2020. Chris said “She’s got a job, and she’s trying to save up so she can prove she can pay for car insurance before we get her a car.” CASA is thrilled this family is back together again. We wish Chris and all fathers a very Happy Father’s Day!