I came to Casa de los Niños when I was just three years old. CPS picked up my brother and me at a bar. The bartender called CPS on my mom when I fell off a barstool and cracked my head. That fall was probably the best thing that could have happened to me.

Even though I was very little, I vividly remember feeling safe when CPS brought me to Casa de los Niños. While there, I remember riding red tricycles, watching cartoons, and being able to spend time with my brother. Most importantly, for the first time in my young life, someone was actually taking care of me, protecting me, comforting me, and worrying about how I felt. Compared to where I came from, I was living like a king at Casa de los Niños

The thing I remember most is just a very small gift that stayed with me throughout my life. When I arrived at the shelter, the staff cleaned me up, gave me a bunch of clothes…and my first pair of brand new tennis shoes. Those shoes meant the world to me and they were all mine. As I said, it was a very simple thing, but those tennis shoes gave a lost little boy a moment of pride

I spent fifteen years in the foster care system after my time at Casa de los Niños. Life was pretty rough at times, but I made it and am now a grown man with two children of my own. I always want to make sure they feel important and loved and, in part, my children have Casa de los Niños to thank for that.