Rise Magazine: ‘I Feel Good that I Never Gave Up!’: At National Reunification Month events, parents reflect on the long road home

For June’s National Reunification Month, organizations around the country celebrated the perseverance and resilience of parents reunifying with children from foster care and of the professionals who support them.

On June 13, the family defense organization The Bronx Defenders hosted a reunification celebration, with food, face painting, performances, and families coming together to celebrate the strength of their bonds. “What we thought would be a little party turned out to be an incredibly powerful moment for our clients to step back from their legal cases and reflect on how far they’ve traveled for their children,” wrote Caitlin Becker, a Bronx Defenders social worker, in a reflection on the evening.

Below are the reunification stories three clients shared with Rise on the night of the celebration. If you have pictures and stories from reunification celebrations you would like to share, send them to risemaginfo@gmail.com.

To read the original article, including the reunification stories of the Bronx Defenders clients who were interviewed by Rise, click here.