“Have you ever faced a moment so dark you wondered if anyone would ever reach in and pull you out?”

Dear Supporter,

That was my family’s life. My family lived in that darkness for years until Serenity Renewal for Families became our light and the one place that embraced us completely, no judgement.

My name is Kerry. I am 60-yrs-old and a mother of four, (25-36) and a grandmother to six, and for more than a decade, the only stable caregiver my grandson Jayden has had since birth. This isn’t just our story. It’s proof that organizations like Serenity Renewal for Families are not “nice to have.” They are lifelines — and families like mine don’t survive without them.

A Cycle of Adversity

My daughter was only 16 when she became pregnant. By 16, she had already survived Addiction, Alcohol, Human Trafficking and Domestic Violence. When she was five months pregnant, she quit drugs and alcohol alone because she wanted her baby to live. She fought for sobriety for 18 months, but trauma and addiction is a heavy opponent. One night she broke down in my arms and whispered, “Mom, I can’t do this.” The shame and guilt nearly destroyed her — guilt for Jayden’s prenatal exposure, shame for not being able to mother him. The guilt of addiction. I have had Jayden since the hospital. No one else stepped forward to help. We were completely alone.

The Daily Reality

Jayden is 12 now, but developmentally closer to 8. Grade four finally gave us answers: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), sensory processing disorder, learning disability, Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD), pathological demand avoidance, impulsive and compulsive behaviours, explosive outbursts, borderline autism traits, Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID). These aren’t just labels — they’re our daily reality. Texture meltdowns. Food refusal. Overstimulation that turns into chaos. Impulses he can’t control. And everywhere we went: judgement. Schools overwhelmed. Doctors stretched thin. Family absent. My mental health collapsed. No place to breathe or have a reprieve from labels. I didn’t know how much longer I could keep going.

A Light at the End of the Tunnel

Then came Serenity.

A chain of referrals — Dr. James, leading specialist in ADHD diagnosed Jayden 3 years ago go and ferried us to CHEO and they referred us to the FASD network — which finally led us to Serenity Renewal for Families.

Michelle, the Manager of Client Services, was kind patient and understanding, even though I was unravelling. I had my back up my and my guard up. It was just another space and predicting the future struggles with everything. Then I heard her say this “you’re safe It’s okay not to be okay. We’ve got you.” For the first time in years, I exhaled. I think that’s the first time I really felt there was a light at the end of the tunnel. I was sceptical because of so many programs, but I’m such a rich person because of my involvement with Serenity Renewal for Families.

Their policy of accepting everyone, whether we could pay or not, with no shame or guilt, just access made us feel safe, non-judged! We met lots of other families who were in the same situation, and it is thanks to donors, that Serenity Renewal for Families can offer their services without shutting the door on us.

Their programs didn’t just help us — they transformed us.

A United Family

Over three years, Jayden attended interactive summer camps that taught him body awareness, communication, self-regulation, how to use his voice, how to be proactive. March Break camps reinforced mental health strategies, environmental awareness, and how to read his own body signals. We completed a full 10-week Strengthening Families sessions. Those sessions changed everything. They understood that “collaborative problem-solving” doesn’t work for a child with Jayden’s neurological limits — and they adapted and showed me how to adapt and gave me different tools to adapt. They were patient with me. They understood. When I had to take care of my other grandchildren, the staff said they could join the programs too. They walked away with some amazing tools for self care and understanding your body. They were welcomed, supported, and left with tools to help themselves but help to understand Jayden’s limits. We became a united family.

Summer camps were magic. My local programs rejected him — terrified of his diagnoses and his Individualized Education Program (IEP). They labeled him and they still refuse to allow him to attend. Serenity Renewal for Families read that IEP and embraced him anyway. They saw a child, not a list of disorders. That acceptance gave him dignity no one else offered.

March Break camps gave me something I hadn’t had in years: a moment to breathe. Not daycare — specialized, programming touching body awareness and when Jayden wanted to talk about his addicted mom they listened. Jayden felt safe enough that I could walk out the door without an anxiety attack. I didn’t have to keep my phone in my hand waiting for the next crisis. I existed as a person again even if it was for a few hours.

Total Support

Serenity Renewal for Families doesn’t disappear when the program ends. Crystal checks in if I miss a form: “Everything okay?” They ask about my other grandkids. They ask about my daughter and supported me through Jayden’s mother’s addiction and homelessness. When she was missing, and I feared the worse staff were there. They guided me when my son had a mental health crisis. They helped my stepdaughter fleeing domestic violence. No judgement. No barriers. Just support.

They gave me respite. They gave Jayden confidence. They gave our family hope. Families like ours don’t have much hope and there’s no real light at the end of tunnel. There’s no real respite because when somebody takes the paper and looks at the labels, they are not willing to invite my grandson to participate. Serenity Renewal for Families is different.

Serenity Renewal for Families isn’t a program. It’s home — the feeling of slipping into warm slippers after years of walking barefoot on broken glass. When I’m depleted, they’re there. When I’m drowning, they hold the rope.

Families like mine don’t make it without this organization.

Thank you for supporting Serenity Renewal for Families with your precious donations. You have changed our lives. Your giving allow us and others to access the services we need so desperately. Thank you for making a gift today!

Sincerely,

Kerry

P.S. Thanks to a generous donor, the first $20,000 is being matched. This doubles the amount of impact from your gift.