Enlarge Alexandria Foster and Shaquanda Green, two former FCS clients, attended the Alumni Reunion.

Posted: May 5th, 2011 Brandi Williams

As a child, Gayle traveled the world. She had housekeepers and led a privileged life; things were great. But things changed when at age 22, she became pregnant. "My parents kicked me out when I got pregnant because they were angry and disappointed,” said Gayle, who now has a great job. “They bought me a one-way ticket to the United States. I was alone and afraid. I didn’t have anyone here.” Then, she discovered the services of Florence Crittenton Services (FCS), a comprehensive residential pregnancy program founded in 1903.

“Florence Crittenton provided a foundation and security when I needed it [most].  They put me around people who were in the same situation and helped give me the stability I needed to develop self confidence. I received my bachelor’s & master’s degrees and in June I will start working on my Ph.D. I made friends – many of whom I am still friends with today. I credit Florence Crittenton for being there when I had no one .  I continue paying it forward by supporting the agency.”

Gayle and nearly 30 other former clients, staff and volunteers gathered on Saturday, April 29, for the second annual Florence Crittenton Alumni Reunion, an event made possible by a Front Porch Grant. This wasn’t the average agency-sponsored reunion; it was a family reunion. The kind of family reunion that comes once every year and is marked by miles of travel (several former clients, volunteers and staff traveled to Charlotte for the reunion); smiles; hugs and lots of love. Love that is developed through shared experience between women who through life’s circumstances have found themselves a new addition to the FCS family.

“Eighty percent of the women who come to Florence Crittenton have been sexually abused or neglected,” said former Crittenton Executive Director Ken Sipes. “We provide them with a place to stay and support to get them out of difficult situations. We help them turn what could have been the most devastating event in their lives into something very valuable and positive for them.”

Marilyn Thompson, Crittenton’s current executive director agrees. “The women in the program experience a lot with each other and they provide support, love and encouragement to one another," she said. "They become close and develop lifelong relationships, relationships that last even after they leave.”

That’s what the Florence Crittenton Alumni Reunion is all about. It’s about continuing to offer support to their family, a family bonded by experience not by blood.

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