Hootie & the Blowfish

The Hootie & the Blowfish Foundation Supports Epworth Children’s Home

Epworth Children’s Home, a Hootie & the Blowfish Foundation supported charity, is a place for children to grow, learn and be loved. Children ages 12 and up come to them from severely stressed family systems and their goal is to nurture and love them by providing education, counseling, medical care and spiritual enrichment. They aim to break the destructive cycle of abuse, neglect and shame and replace it with an opportunity for each child to live a life of self-respect, responsibility and productivity.

Epworth has shared a recent success story with the band, their fans, and supporters of the foundation. See below for the full story.

Inside Epworth’s Family Care Center, no win is too insignificant or too small. Almost every day we get to celebrate families taking large and small steps to become whole. We cheer as a mom learns to make an affordable and healthy dinner for her family. We are there for the hard work that is therapy and recovery, and we celebrate big when a breakthrough happens. We beam with pride as moms and their children plan Halloween costumes together and trick or treat, hand in hand. We recognize that the very decision to commit to 6-month program at the Family Care Center may be one of the greatest acts of love a mother can show her children. Recently, we had a mom and her three children complete the program. Today, we celebrate her.

Upon arrival to the program mom, Anne* was very emotional, anxious, resistant, and not trusting of anyone. Anne grew up experiencing life in and out of the foster care system, had been incarcerated and was dealing with severed family connections. Initially, she was completely against staying six months at the facility and it was a daily battle for the Epworth staff to encourage her that this was a wonderful opportunity for her and her children, and that putting in the work now could change the trajectory of her future.

Through daily coaching, modeling, encouragement, and spiritual guidance, Anne finally felt a sense of permanency and stability for the first time in a long time. She was safe. She felt she was able to develop and maintain a consistent level of support in her life for once and she was able to stabilize the chaos that had been around her for so long. With the chaos around her slowing down, Anne was able to develop a sense of trust and family with FCC staff and her DSS caseworker and was ready to put in the work of becoming the best mother and person she could be.

After this change of heart, Anne actively and consistently participated and successfully completed her alcohol/drug treatment with LRADAC, Active Parenting classes, and Life skills modules. She was able to strengthen her relationship with her children by a variety of research-based, proven activities and sessions. She actively participated with her children in early intervention and speech therapy services. She was also able to secure employment and stable and suitable housing for herself and her children. The three children received weekly classroom time where they were able to learn their alphabets, numbers, colors, shapes and learned to recite nursery rhymes with the loving Epworth staff. The Family Care Center was a safe haven for both mom and the children to grow and thrive. Anne and her children were observed to have a close-knit and loving bond and upon discharge there were tears of joy and accomplishment by both staff and the family. Thanks to the Family Care Center, Anne and her children are not only still together, but they have the tools and skills needed to be successful for years to come.

Anne’s accomplishment is a typical success story for mothers who complete the Family Care Center program. With the support and guidance they receive, they are able to focus on recovery for themselves and becoming better parents for their children.

*Anne’s name has been changed for privacy purposes

Help the Hootie & the Blowfish Foundation continue to support organizations like the Epworth Children’s Home by donating below.

**Photos provided by Epworth Children’s Home