"My life was hard to live. My mother and stepfather were drug addicts. They did not do what they were supposed to do (like being good parents) and because of the drugs we were abused and neglected. I did not want to go to school because of the marks on my body and the clothes I had to wear. My clothes were dirty and my hygiene was poor. As a result of this I got picked on and beat up."

"I was scared to go to school and scared to go back home. I ran away and made some bad choices. I was on the run for almost two years - until 2004 when I was locked up. When I got locked up I was also scared because I was going around a lot of people I did not know. My stay at Florence Crittenton changed my whole life. They worked with me through school and my behavior problems."

"If I was not placed I think I would have ended up like my mother and father. While at Florence Crittenton I learned a lot of new things. They taught me good parenting skills, anger management skills, and also to be a good mother to my son, Kevin, who is now strong and healthy and also learning new things. And he also loves being at Florence Crittenton. Florence Crittenton was my son's first home. I am happy it was here and not at my mom's or somewhere else."

"I did not know life could be like it is now. I always thought I would be a lost child trying to find a safe home to live a better life than my mother and father gave me, and I did. Florence Crittenton is a great home for young pregnant women and young moms. People learn a lot here and also get as much love as they would get at home, probably even more."

"At Florence Crittenton, I met a wonderful group of women, which is known as the Auxiliary. All of them mean a lot to us, even the people who support the Auxiliary. They all bring happiness to our eyes. I had a lot of fun spending time with them....all of the fun trips to Sara's, the walks on the beach, the movies and even the house activities. I loved spending my time with them as much as they love spending their time with us. These ladies make our stay here fun and happy. They even help keep our home looking nice. The pretty curtains all through the house and other things they have put into our home makes it look nice."

"I just want to say thank you to [everyone who] made my stay here special...thank you for all your loving and caring."