- April 26, 2024
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Sarah Wright was never an everyday drinker, but when she drank, she drank.
"I binge like crazy and black out," she said. "The 50 or so times I drank, I did it right. I completely did the alcoholism thing right."
So right in fact, that after a binge brought on by the death of her aunt, the Florida Department of Children and Families stepped in and told her it was time to make a change. Thankfully, she had a support system to turn to.
"Neighbor to Family put us on the right path that’s better for our children," Wright said. "They are so wonderful, and I put them through hell."
A nationally accredited and evidence-based sibling foster care program, Neighbor to Family works with recovering families to ensure they are kept together — even if that means placing the children with their siblings in safe and stable foster homes.
"Everyone is like 'You tell your case worker you love them?' I say 'Yeah.' All they are trying to do is help." — Sarah Wright, recipent of Neighbor to Family care
According to their website, there are nearly 500,000 children in foster care in the United States and between 65% and 85% of them enter care with least one sibling. It is estimated that only 25% of these children are placed with all their siblings. Neighbor to Family fights to keep siblings together because there are strong indicators that siblings who are placed together in foster care experience higher rates of stability, a decreased length of stay in foster care and suffer less trauma.
"We’re working intensively with the families so they don’t have to go through the foster system," said NTF-Daytona Beach Executive Director Rachael Gerow. "Doing so helps build stronger families in the community."
Thankfully, Sarah Wright has been able to keep her two children out of the foster care system. Her daughter, 4-year-old Victoria, lives with her dad and her son, 17-month-old Trenton, lives with his dad and her husband, Joshua Pearson. Wright, who has lived in Ormond Beach for practically her whole life, is currently living at a sober house, and just recently received her one-month sobriety chip.
"Since I’ve been at the sober house, I’ve been helping them by opening up," she said. "They have invested so much time, patience and money into our family trying to get us together. They’re like a parental unit and you don’t want to disappoint them. You really do just want the best for the family."
And for Wright, that means keeping them in stable living environments, which is something she experienced little of as a child herself.
"My parents were divorced, and we did a lot of moving around," she said. "Moving makes you really insecure. Getting to know new people in school, never having a set life, it really does make you feel alone. I don’t want my children to have to go through that."
Though she has only two more weeks in the sober house, Wright said she's going to stay as long as they need her to. She also recently got a job.
"I’m very much about the recovery," she said. "I'm so grateful for Neighbor to Family for keeping us together. They’re amazing. I love them. Everyone thinks I’m weird because I have to say 'I have to call my case worker,' and when I get of the phone I say 'I love you.' Everyone is like 'You tell your case worker you love them?' I say 'Yeah.' All they are trying to do is help."
