![Young Black woman prepping food](/sites/default/files/image-uploads/Lydia-BW-WEB.jpg)
Turning Passion into A Career
Lydia*, a young woman suffering from extensive trauma, was receiving intensive therapy at Nexus-Woodbourne. During her stay, she expressed a passion for cooking. Staff recognized that passion and used it to build her confidence and her independence. They helped her obtain her food safety licensure and training. They taught her to manage the food expense budget for the program.
![Anna and Master Kinkle at the adoption ceremony with their three kids](/sites/default/files/image-uploads/Anna_Master_BW_WEB_0.png)
Love Knows No Bounds
Nexus-Kindred foster parents Master and Anna Hinkle have been in wheelchairs for most of their lives: Master since he was 3, and Anna since she was 16. Both were the result of vehicle accidents.
![youth and staff raising LGBTQ flags](/sites/default/files/image-uploads/LGBTQ%20and%20Transgender%20flag%20raising%20-%20BW%20cropped%20WEB.jpg)
All Are Welcome
As you drive into the Nexus-Gerard Family Healing campus, there are six flagpoles that line the lawn. Until recently, only one of these flagpoles was being used. Cameron*, a new transgender youth admitted to Nexus-Gerard, had an idea — what if two of these empty flagpoles had a pride flag and a transgender flag to welcome LBGTQ+ youth and visitors?![young Black girl smiling](/sites/default/files/image-uploads/Brittany%27s%20Story%20-%20BW%20WEB.png)
Finding Independence
Brittany, a young Black woman suffering from extensive sexual trauma and abuse, was receiving intensive therapeutic intervention services at Nexus-Woodbourne.![Amanda Kreuter, her husband Dan and their three girls](/sites/default/files/image-uploads/Amanda%20Kreuter%20family%20-%20BW%20web%20%281%29.png)
Fostering a Place to Call Home
Amanda Kreuter was in her early 20s when she started thinking about becoming a foster parent, so when she and her husband Dan struggled with infertility, they decided to explore their Minnesota foster care and adoption resource, the MNAdopt.org website.
![Foster Family](/sites/default/files/image-uploads/fosterfam.jpg)
Providing A Place to Grow
Paul and Cara are Nexus-PATH foster parents. They provided informal care to two children prior to becoming foster care licensed in 2013.![foster care](/sites/default/files/image-uploads/dogboy.jpg)
A Call to Foster
Frank* and Roxanne* are a blended family with 6 adult children between them. They live on a farm with many animals - horses, chickens, peacocks, cats, dogs, a donkey and a steer.
![photo of a man managing a restaurant](/sites/default/files/image-uploads/Nexus_GettyImages-1174804672_Nate_WEB.jpg)
Finding His Path
At the age of 13, Nate started going to parties with older kids where he was introduced to and saw all sorts of things. He was living with his schizophrenic mother and Nate felt the need to keep his activities outside of the home to himself.
![giving hands](/sites/default/files/image-uploads/Nexus_GettyImages-1124600081_Currans_WEB.png)
Generations of Giving
Pat and Paul Curran were “hometown sweethearts” from Hornell, New York, who married and moved to Minnesota.![Box of Donations](/sites/default/files/image-uploads/Nexus_GettyImages-1171445449_Bill_WEB.png)
Paying It Forward
From the time she was 13, Bill Spotts' daughter began behaving differently and more dangerously. Smoking. Drinking, Drugs. Cutting herself. Suicidal ideation. And more.