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

soon turned dark as the husband began molesting Star, a nightmare that lasted four years. When they were finally removed from that situation, they were placed with a single woman on the West Side of Chicago. While this placement started positively, it quickly devolved into physical and mental abuse, with harsh punishments for normal childhood behavior.

One night, pushed to their limits, Star and her sister reached out for help, and the foster mother called DCFS for a behavioral assessment. Star's sister was taken to a hospital, while Star was sent to an emergency placement in the South Suburbs. From that point forward, she and her twin sister would never be placed together again. After experiencing another emotional outburst while in the emergency placement, Star was sent to Hartgrove Behavioral Health Center. Unfortunately, due to a lack of space in the adolescent unit, she was placed in the adult unit, where she faced further trauma from other patients. Struggling to process her pain, Star began to harm herself.

When she was finally released, Star was placed in a home where no abuse occurred, but the absence of love in that space left her feeling empty. By the time she was 14, she arrived at Maryville Academy, a residential placement in Bartlett, Illinois. She stayed there until she turned 17 when she was transferred to the Larkin Center, a group home in Elgin. Finally, she found some stability living with a single woman on the West Side of Chicago from ages 18 to 20—her first placement that was free from issues and abuse. Star turned 21 in the hospital, aging out of DCFS.

Through her struggles, Star developed a profound desire to help others who have faced similar challenges. She wants to provide them with an outlet to find healing and the opportunity to become better versions of themselves. Her journey, though fraught with difficulties, is a testament to resilience, hope, and the power of compassion.