This is a sample Together We Rise- Broken but not defeated. Mission Statement- to give people who were in DCFS custody an outlet to express emotions and to build a community with others who have similar experiences. Star and her twin sister were born on February 8, 1994, at Cook County Hospital. They entered the world into a challenging situation, as both were addicted to cocaine at birth. Following protocol, the hospital staff contacted the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). This was Star's first interaction with DCFS, but it would not be her last. As the fourth of five children born to her 19-year-old mother, Star endured a tumultuous infancy in the Robert Taylor Homes on Chicago's South Side. At just three months old, she and her sister were taken to a crack house while their mother used drugs, prompting another call to DCFS. After her mother was sent to rehabilitation, all five children went to live with their grandmother. Two years later, in July 1996, Star's baby brother was born, and just a month later, her mother tragically passed away under unfortunate circumstances. With her older sister moving in with a close friend of their mother's, Star's grandmother was left to care for five children under the age of six, including a newborn. Despite the dysfunction, Star and her four siblings shared a bond filled with love. However, their childhood was marred by pain. In 1999, while walking home from school, Star and her sister were sexually assaulted at gunpoint, an experience they felt they couldn't share with their grandmother. Star was later molested by a friend of her brother's, which led to DCFS being notified again. Due to a multitude of issues, the children were removed from their grandmother's care when Star was five years old. She, her twin sister, and little brother were placed in a home in the South Suburbs, where a married couple and their three children welcomed them. Initially, the environment seemed promising, but it s

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