450 N Syndicate St, Suite 340, St. Paul, MN 55104 info@clcmn.org 651-644-4438

Darius & Harvey’s Story

Darius and Harvey are brothers who were removed from their mother’s care after she was arrested for illegal drug use. The boys were eight and nine years old. While in care, the boys were separated and sent to different placements. Darius and Harvey were lucky enough to be placed in the home of relatives, Harvey with his father and Darius with an aunt. However, family friction between the father and aunt strained regular communication between the brothers. CLC was appointed to represent Darius to advocate for him and his impending adoption by the aunt.

February 2011 Volunteer Of the Month: Joe Cassioppi

2.10.11
Joseph Cassioppi, of Fredrikson & Byron is CLC’s February Volunteer of the Month. Joe has gone above and beyond for a client that needed help to avoid outcomes that could have impacted his future for many years. Because he had Joe as his attorney, his client faces a brighter and healthier future.

Isabelle’s Story: As Told by Her Volunteer Attorney

Her sobbing plea haunted me: “Get me out of here!” Isabelle was just barely 12 years old and loved her school. She played the violin in the orchestra and was doing very well in her classes but she was also a cutter. “Cutting” is a form of self-harm without suicidal intent. Following a cutting incident, Isabelle was expelled from her group home and placed in a juvenile detention center…

January 2011 Volunteers of the Month: Nancy Coyle Strahan & Kathleen Berdan

1.18.2011
Nancy Coyle Strahan and Kathleen Berdan attended CLC’s training session in June 2000. As new attorneys they were not familiar with the child protection system and laws and both stated that they were a little intimidated about representing foster care children. Nancy and Kathleen were the first volunteers to co-represent CLC clients and have co-represented several very difficult cases. They have spent an estimated 3,000 hours on their clients since 2000.

Jasmine’s Story

12.6.2010
Jasmine came to the United States as a refugee from Africa. Much about her early life is unknown but she was a young child when she arrived. For many years she was living an unstable and uncertain life in a new country with an older cousin who was verbally and physically abusive. As a young teen…

Evan’s Story

11.12.2010
Evan has been through more in his short life than most of us will endure in a lifetime. Born into a country on the brink of civil war, many details of Evan’s life are unclear or unknown. He was born in the Cote d’Ivoire, Africa, to parents that fled the

Steve’s Story

As a child, Steve lived with his Mom and her boyfriend who was a pimp and drug dealer. Mom’s boyfriend routinely beat the heck out of Steve and his mother. Steve was forced to watch as the boyfriend murdered a rival drug dealer. Even then Steve lived with his mother till she died of an illness when he was 11. Child Protection placed Steve in the care of his father who had remarried. The stepmother hated him and abused him. Eventually, his father kicked him out of the house and he ended up on the streets.

Volunteer of the Month, September 2010- Peter Hendrixson

9.8.10
When considering our Volunteer of the Month selection for September, one name stood out: Pete Hendrixson. Pete’s incredible recent efforts on behalf of one very special client, in addition to his many years of commitment to CLC, made this pick an easy one. Pete Hendrixson has been a volunteer attorney for CLC since 1998. He served on CLC’s Board of Directors from 2003 through 2008, including one term as President.

Eli’s Story

9.8.10
My name is Eli. I used to live with my mom. She and her boyfriend would beat my brother Antonio and me with golf clubs and extension cords and then keep us home from school so no one would see the bruises. She’d be watching TV or cooking and then something would just set her off. Sometimes her boyfriend would hold us down while mom hit us. For fun he’d throw my little brother across the room and laugh about it.

The cops came once to bust mom for weed. They noticed we were pretty bruised so they took us to the hospital for a few days.

Adamma’s Story

8.10.2010
My name is Adamma, and I was adopted from Eastern Africa with my three younger sisters in 2005. I loved attending school, and I received all A’s that first year of my adoption. I even started looking at college brochures. My sisters joined soccer teams and we made lots of friends in the neighborhood and at our church. We were getting excited about our futures, until everything changed.