“I’m afraid for myself, I’m afraid for my son. We need a safe place to heal.

“My 8-year old son, Ethan, and I broke ties with my husband due to his violence. We found an apartment and were living on our own, until one night when my husband broke in.

“He destroyed our apartment and physically threw me around. It was all such a blur – I couldn’t call for help. Fortunately, the neighbors heard and called the police. They found me on the floor and my husband was gone. Worst of all, Ethan saw the whole thing.

Rynn Bell, Family Tree SafeCare® Parent Support Provider, recently authored a blog post on Ascend at the Aspen Institute’s website, titled, ‘Candidates, Listen to Families: Three Recommendations From a Parent.’

In 2013, I relocated to Colorado and did some hard thinking about what I wanted to do next, career-wise. I have always been a heavy thrift shopper and have a strong background in customer service, so it made sense to find work at a thrift store. I found the Treasure Trunk Community Thrift Store Manager position online, and a friend of mine, a former Family Tree employee, heavily endorsed the job. It was ideal: A small, community-based thrift store with a dedicated team of staff and volunteers.

Lisa’s family motto is: “We don’t know easy.” Originally from California, Lisa married Chris, and they are proud parents of two children, ages 3 and 5.

When Chris’s military unit closed, the family had to relocate. Chris reenlisted with the reserves and they moved to Colorado. They couldn’t sell their house since the population of the base shrunk so significantly and ended up buying a second home in Colorado, leaving them with two mortgages. Despite her comfort with change, Lisa didn’t expect that, once in Colorado, they would need Family Tree.

This letter was written by a mother that recently completed Family Tree SafeCare®. Family Tree SafeCare® is a flexible, free in-home visiting program for families with at least one child in the home, five years of age or younger. See more information and to sign up here.