A story from one of our alums who began healing from childhood trauma here at Sarah A Reed Children's Center,Erie,PA. We tell Amber's story as we reach out to other children in need. sarahareed.plannedgiving.org

1. I spent my 5th
birthday at
Sarah Reed.
My name is Amber. This is my story.
1
"For the first time in my life, I felt like I could open up at Sarah Reed and be
myself. That was exactly what I needed to start healing."

2. efore arriving at Sarah A. Reed Children's Center, I went through several different placements, including a couple of
foster homes. Even though my foster homes were nice and the people were caring, nobody ever really understood me.
And quite honestly, I didn't understand myself either.
My early years growing up in rural Pennsylvania were some of the hardest and scariest times of my life. When I was 8 years
old I went into my first foster home. The trauma and loss I had experienced up to that point was just too overwhelming for
me to process. Intense feelings of loss, anger and frustration consumed me. I battled severe depression for years and was
later diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I went from one placement to the next, carrying those burdensome labels of
"depression" and "bipolar disorder" with me. Nobody ever stopped to help me understand what these labels meant or why
they affected my behavior the way they did. How could I overcome these challenges and live a healthy, happy life if I didn't
understand what was going on?
B
"The staff at Sarah Reed
were the only ones who were
able to help me understand
what I was feeling and why.
They never made me feel like
there was something wrong
with me."
The staff at Sarah Reed were the only ones who were able to help me understand
what I was feeling and why. They never made me feel like there was something
wrong with me. For the first time, I felt like it was ok to be myself. Dr. B. and the
behavioral counselors got me to open up and work through my challenges. They
even took the time to explain the medical reasons behind my depression and bipolar
disorder. I finally began to realize how trauma and my life experiences affected my
mental health.
All of that changed when I was 14 and went to Sarah Reed.
Your generosity helps kids through the toughest years of their childhood. I know this because my life was forever changed
when I came to Sarah A. Reed Children's Center over a decade ago. When you give to Sarah Reed's Annual Fund, you're not
just helping to provide programs and services. You are transforming the life of a child. I'm honored to share my story with
you today, and I hope it inspires you to consider joining our community of Annual Fund donors so that more children can
experience their own success stories this year.
Even on my bad days, I knew my Sarah Reed family truly cared about me. They helped me begin healing from the
childhood trauma I experienced and worked with me to regain control of my mental health and well-being.

3. Thank you for helping us succeed!
I'll be the first to admit that it is a long process that takes time (I actually came back to Sarah Reed a second time when I
was 17), but I would never have the amazing life I have today if it wasn't for this life-changing agency. Thanks to Sarah
Reed, I went to college to become a therapist and help others like me, and I now have two beautiful children with one on the
way!
I'm 28 now, and as I look back on my life, I know that I wouldn't be where I am today without Sarah Reed and the support
of their Annual Fund community of donors. Their generosity helped pull me through my toughest years and turned my life
into a story of success.
I'm just one of the many success stories that have come out of Sarah Reed. I hope you will consider becoming an Annual
Fund donor this year so that more children and families can experience the same quality of care and understanding that
transformed my life.
On behalf of all the children and families at Sarah Reed...
We hope you'll consider supporting more children, like Amber, with a gift to our
2019-2020 Annual Fund Campaign!
~Amber, 28
Make a secure gift online at
www.SarahReed.org/donate
Use the enclosed envelope to mail your gift to:
Sarah A. Reed Children's Center
ATTN: Development Office
2445 West 34th Street ٠ Erie, PA 16506
Make your gift over the phone:
Gary L. Bukowski, MA, CFRE
Associate VP of Development
(814) 835-7602
GBukowski@SarahReed.org
Remember, if your company has a
matching gift program you can
make an even bigger impact!

4. Development Office
2445 West 34th Street
Erie, PA 16506
Sarah A. Reed Children's Center is committed to helping children and families achieve success. Your support of the 2019-2020
Annual Fund provides the mental health, behavioral health, and trauma-related services that change lives. We hope you will
consider a gift to help more children , like Amber, who shared her story with us this year. Together we are making a difference!
Celebrating 149 Years!