On an early October morning in Burundi in 1993, Vince’s life changed forever. He and his parents were getting ready to leave for church. Then, the gunshots began. Their village was under attack, and Vince’s family was forced to flee first to the Democratic Republic of Congo, then across the border to neighboring Tanzania. When...
Logan and his mother, Michaela, didn’t know where to turn. Since he was 5 years old, Logan had moved in and out of hospital visits and residential treatment centers across Iowa. For 13 years, Michaela tried desperately to find the right approach to address his behavioral needs. But nothing was working. “He spent a year...
Six-year-old Logan had a big imagination. He enjoyed playing pretend and making his teachers and classmates believe he had superpowers. But as Logan became more and more absorbed in his imaginary world, it became harder for his mother, Jennifer, to know when her son was telling the truth. In Logan’s mind, the lines between real...
From a building on LSI’s Bremwood Residential Treatment Center campus, snippets of conversation can be heard over the soft whirring of sewing machines. “Does anybody have any blue thread?” “I’m going to sew a Santa design on my shirt!” For the past year, youth on campus have been learning new sewing skills thanks to a...
Fifteen-year-old Izabella felt trapped and alone. She struggled with anxiety and depression, breaking down multiple times each week. She moved in and out of a mental health institution. That’s when Izabella and her mother, Meghan, discovered LSI’s Behavioral Health Intervention Services. For almost two years, Izabella collaborated with her LSI mental health team and in...
We were a welcoming family, and we really didn’t want that journey to stop.
Many of Cheryl’s favorite memories involve raising her two children, watching them thrive, and counting the shoes in the doorway each night to see how many of her children’s friends she would be making dinner for. But as her children grew up and began leaving home, Cheryl thought about the many more Iowa children who...
Brittany wanted to create a warm, happy home for her new family. She and her boyfriend, Dustin, were ready to welcome their first child. But shortly after her son, Easton, was born, he began experiencing health issues. When Brittany and Dustin took him to the hospital, they learned Easton had severe asthma. He would need...
All her life, Kristie has known she wants to help kids. That’s why she decided six years ago to become a respite caregiver for LSI’s Services for People with Disabilities. Throughout the week, Kristie cares for children in her area on a part-time basis, giving their families a break for a few hours that day....
