When Jessica Francis, Family Visitation Specialist, started working with a new family last May, she knew her role was to help a mother and daughter find their way back to one another.
Grace* had spent more than a year in foster care before returning to live with her father, but she hadn’t seen her mother, Stephanie,* since 2020.
The first time Jessica visited Stephanie, she was met with kindness and eagerness. Stephanie shared that she desperately wanted to see her daughter again but had no way to get to the visits. That’s when an idea sparked for Jessica: weekly bus passes.
She brought Stephanie her first bus pass and it immediately changed everything. After years apart, Stephanie was finally able to visit Grace again. Since then, Jessica has continued to deliver passes each week, making sure the visits keep happening.
“Grace seemed really excited to see her mom again,” Jessica shared with a smile.
The visits haven’t just been meaningful for the mother and daughter. They’ve also helped strengthen the co-parenting relationship. At one visit, Stephanie even told Grace’s father what a great job he was doing raising her.
Looking back, Jessica reflected, “I think if someone did not step in and do what I did, she would not have been able to see her daughter.”
A bus pass may seem like a small thing, but for this family, it has meant the world. With just a little help, a mother and daughter have been reunited, and a new chapter of connection and healing has begun.
*Names changed for confidentiality.