A former Logan County Children’s Services foster care youth and a current Logan County kinship provider shared their personal stories of hope and resilience Wednesday, April 9, during the LCCS’s Child Abuse Prevention Ceremony at the Logan County Courthouse.
Following the ceremony, participants from a variety of fields, from faith leaders to law enforcement, elected officials, court staff and other community members, planted pinwheels outside of the courthouse, representing the 487 individual children served by LCCS during 2024.
The 487 pinwheels will surround the courthouse through the end of April. LCCS Executive Director Erica James said Pinwheels for Prevention Program began in 2008 as the “physical embodiment of the type of childhood we want for our children.
“The pinwheels represent childlike whimsy and lightheartedness and our vision for a world where all children grow up happy, healthy, and prepared to succeed in supportive families and communities,” James said.
“All children deserve to grow up in a safe and nurturing home. Their voices should guide how we collaborate and support families to prevent children abuse and neglect.”
Former foster care youth Haley*, who is now a wife and soon-to-be mother of two children, said her childhood wasn’t an easy one. She spent time in three foster homes, before the third family adopted her.
“It was really rough in the beginning,” she said. “You don’t see why you were taken from your home. That takes some time.
“My main case worker from the county — he was amazing. I’m very grateful for how much he helped me.
“It also took me time to realize that I built up walls to keep from being hurt. I had to let down my walls gradually to let others in.”
Fortunately, Haley related that with her third foster family and eventual adoptive parents, “We pretty much clicked immediately,” she said with a smile.
Her new parents were supportive of her in many ways, including encouraging her with her schooling. She graduated from the Apollo Career Center with a degree in nails, Haley said.
“Before that time, I didn’t even see myself graduating. Now I’ve graduated and even have a career.”
To give back to a cause that’s close to her heart, Haley said she and her husband now are working toward becoming foster parents themselves.
“I understand what they’re going through,” she said of youths currently in foster care.
“When there is neglect in a home, a lot of people don’t understand the older sibling’s role in the family dynamic. You take on that parental role with your younger siblings in a lot of ways. My younger siblings often would struggle to listen if I wasn’t around.”
In addition to Haley’s courageous story, attendees heard from city resident Mildrena Brown, who is currently a kinship care provider to her two granddaughters, ages 30 months and 18 months. She said she was granted emergency custody of her first granddaughter in March of 2023, and received custody of her second granddaughter in June of 2024.
Brown previously spent her days working as a district manager for Huntington National Bank and more recently as an executive director with the American Red Cross, serving in Logan County. Now her days are spent caring for her two granddaughters and heading to numerous appointments for their extensive medical needs.
Her oldest granddaughter has been diagnosed with autism and cerebral/cortical visual impairment (CVI). Brown said it’s suspected that her younger granddaughter has the same medical diagnoses. Her granddaughters are enrolled in speech therapy, occupational therapy and physical therapy, along with early intervention.
Brown said friends sometimes ask her why she is doing all of this, with involved nature of her granddaughters’ care, and she has a rather simple answer to their question that points to her faith.
“It’s easy, because they’re my granddaughters,” she said, noting that along with being their caregiver, she’s their personal trainer and cheerleader.
“It’s easy, because God is carrying me through the challenges. I have to give thanks to my special friends, family and my pastor.”
To enroll her granddaughters in the services they need, the kinship care provider said it has been an emotional rollercoaster at times when dealing with different agencies and to “get people to listen.” But she is thankful to the current administration at LCCS and also local law enforcement for hearing her concerns and connecting her with the resources that her granddaughters need.
Concluding her talk, Brown said she feels very blessed to be able to give the two girls a “safe place of love. It’s a true privilege to be able to raise my granddaughters.”
Logan County Commissioner Mike Yoder read a proclamation for Child Abuse Prevention Month on behalf of the county, with fellow Commissioners Joe Antram and Greg Fitzpatrick also in attendance for the ceremony. Pastor Gary Brown of the Bellefontaine First Church of God concluded the ceremony with a prayer.
*Editor’s note: Haley’s last name has been withheld to protect her privacy.
