HUDSONVILLE, Mich. — On a sunny April afternoon, Rena Hawkins and Brenda Davis are sitting at the dinner table flipping through their phones and admiring pictures of their children. They're sharing stories and laughs. It's all smiles.
But it wasn't always this way.
Back in March 2020 as the world shut down, doctors across the country were working to figure out how best to treat a then-novel virus that we all know now as COVID-19. Hawkins was admitted to Holland Hospital. She was the first confirmed case of the virus in Ottawa County.
"I really had almost died at that time. And just having to rebuild after that was really difficult. My children were actually away from me for a couple of months," said Hawkins, who has eight kids.
To make sure those children got the care they needed, Hawkins turned to the Safe Families program through Bethany Christian Services. The organization describes it as "a supportive community for parents as they strive to overcome poverty, homelessness, health issues, job loss, or other obstacles."
Hawkins had used the program as she dealt with unrelated health issues in the past after learning about Safe Families through a counselor.
"I had no hesitations at all. I felt that I could trust everyone that I had talked to. If you have any questions, they'll they'll answer them. It's not like they just come and grab the kids and you never heard from them," she said.
"It's really open, and it's a safe place. I'm thankful that I did it."
Davis says her family's choice to volunteer for the program comes because they know how much having a good support system can help for parents who are going through tough times.
"I was a young, teen mom myself. So having a network of support when I was in that situation, reflecting on that, I was like 'How can I give back? How can I be that support for someone else?'" she said.
"What struck me about the program is its family preservation mindset, and helping families in difficult situations regain stability, so that they can come together whole and healed again."
That's exactly what's happened for Hawkins and her children. After months of recovering from COVID-19 she did eventually get to reunite with her kids at an outdoor celebration during the pandemic. She's now in good health.
"I've learned that if I'm not healthy, the whole ship goes down. So I'm making sure that I take care of me and doing the things that I need to do to take care of myself first, so that I can be healthy, and here for my children," she said.
Hawkins says though they don't share the same blood, her children and the Davis family have now formed a lasting bond.
"We're all family now. They are my family now. So I love that. And without God, none of this would be possible. I think that's how everything lined up," she said.
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