FROM OUTLAW TO LOVING FATHER (Bob R)

At NewDay we have a front row seat in the lives of people who radically change and turn their lives around. Drew was one of those. His temper, alcoholic addiction and reaction to some difficult circumstances resulted in him landing in jail with a felony aggravated assault charge. As a result, his 6 yr old son was removed from the home and placed in CPS foster care. The mother eventually received custody.

He self-described himself as an “outlaw”. His way of life perfectly fit that description. After being released on bond, he had a relapse and violated a protective order. About this time his son was removed from the mother’s home and a new CPS case was initiated. Her addictions kept her from adequately caring for her son. This time Drew was contacted by CPS and asked to do services as the “non-offending parent” . One of those services was the FOCUS+ fatherhood class led by Robby Anderson.

Like so many Dads, he was angry, combative and reluctant to do services. Robby re-directed his energy to focus on what was best for his son. His attitude began to change. His greatest desire was to keep his son out of foster care be involved in his life.

Robby is one of the most compassionate facilitators we have at NewDay. He would literally give you the shirt off his back. When he found out that Drew needed furniture, he found someone at his church who wanted to give some of it away. Despite suffering himself with some difficult health situations, he continues to faithfully serve.

As often happens, God used difficult circumstances to draw Drew into a faith in God. He changed from being a devoted “Pagan” to one adopted into God’s family. God is in the transformation business! 

So the rest of the story is that Drew obtained sobriety, learned to forgive his son’s mother (and himself) and received primary custody of his now 9 year old son (see pic above). This past June he finished two years of probation and living a sober life working as a plumber with a highly respected company.

Please support us as we work with parents to keep their children out of foster care. We are impacting children and families for generations to come. You can be a part of our mission. 

I will personally match the first $500 that is donated to my page, Your donation can be tripled with our match money from our good friends at Venture Mechanical and myself. 

Bob Robinson