Blog
How Berty Found Support, Strength and a Second Chance with ASCI
Each month, A Second Chance, Inc. (ASCI) shares the stories of the families at the heart of our work. These stories give us an opportunity to celebrate the love, resilience and strength within kinship families while highlighting the people and support systems that help families move forward together.
This month, we’re sharing Berty’s story. When her grandchildren needed her, she stepped up, opening her home, navigating the uncertainty that came with kinship care and gaining a deeper understanding of what it means to show up for family. Along the way, she found support and relationships that helped her navigate a new chapter while creating a safe, loving home for her grandchildren.
For Berty, being Grandma was never a role she had to learn. Her grandchildren had been part of her life since they were born, spending weekends, birthdays and holidays with her and becoming part of the rhythm of her everyday life. So, when she noticed one of her grandchildren was missing too much school, Berty knew something needed to change. The child came to stay with her, and before long, a sibling wanted to be with Grandma, too.
What started as Berty simply stepping up for her grandchildren eventually led her to ASCI after circumstances involving the children’s siblings brought Allegheny County Children, Youth and Families into her home. Berty already knew what it meant to love and care for her grandchildren. What she didn’t expect was how complicated the journey would become.
When Love Comes With Uncertainty
Berty admits that becoming a kinship caregiver was scary. She had assumed that once ASCI became involved, things would move quickly and that the path forward would be simple. Instead, there were moments when she worried she could lose the children she had already been caring for.
What helped was having people who were willing to be honest with her about what could happen, what might happen, and what might not happen. Through ASCI’s kinship services, Berty received guidance and support as she navigated an unfamiliar process and worked to create stability for her grandchildren.
ASCI’s approach to kinship care is centered on keeping children connected to family while supporting the relatives who step forward to care for them. Through services such as kinship navigation, permanency support, resource connections, and family-focused guidance, ASCI helps caregivers understand their options and feel supported throughout their journey.
“They gave me some truth. They gave me some truth of what could happen, what might happen, and what might not happen.”
Berty
For Berty, that honesty helped turn some of the fear into confidence.
A Place Where She Could Be Herself
One of the most meaningful parts of Berty’s experience with ASCI wasn’t simply the resources she received. It was the relationships she built along the way.
She remembers the workers who visited her home, listened to her and helped her find resources when she needed them. She was able to be open about her past, including her journey through recovery, without feeling judged or defined by where she had been. That mattered deeply to Berty.
She says ASCI gave her the space to be honest about her life while still recognizing the grandmother she was today, the woman who had stepped up for her grandchildren and was determined to give them a safe and loving home.
“The workers at ASCI didn’t judge me for my past and they allowed me to be me.”
Berty
Through practical support, resource connections and the relationships she developed with her workers, Berty felt that she didn’t have to navigate everything alone. From housing resources to family events, ASCI was there to support her in the ways that mattered to her.
Growing Together
Today, Berty’s grandchildren have their own space in a bigger home, go to school every day and have perfect attendance. The family spends time together, travels, visits loved ones and stays active in the community. Along the way, Berty says the experience has brought her family even closer.
This journey didn’t just change the lives of her grandchildren. It changed Berty, too. She says she has learned how to express love in new ways and become the mother and grandmother she always wanted to be. Her grandchildren, she says, prepared her for the role long before she ever became their biological grandmother.
“These kids have prepared me to be a grandmother, a better grandmother.”
Berty
Berty knows the journey hasn’t been perfect. There have been difficult moments, hard conversations and plenty of lessons along the way. But when she looks back, she sees growth, family and a bond that has only become stronger.
Her advice to other grandparents stepping into kinship care is simple: set boundaries and remember that you are still their grandparent.
Most importantly, she wants caregivers to know that they don’t have to have everything figured out on day one. For Berty, stepping up for her grandchildren became more than an act of love. It became another chapter in her own story of growth, healing and family. Sometimes, a second chance isn’t about starting over. It’s about having the support to keep showing up for the people you love.
When Family Steps Up, So Do We
Berty’s story is a reminder that family doesn’t always come into focus in the easiest moments. Sometimes, stepping up for the people you love comes with questions, fear and uncertainty. Sometimes, it means learning a new role while doing everything you can to protect the children already counting on you.
At A Second Chance, Inc., we believe families have the strength to care for their own, and that caregivers deserve to be supported along the way. For more than 30 years, ASCI has worked to strengthen and preserve healthy kinship families so every child has the opportunity to be safe and thrive.
If you’re involved with a child or family navigating kinship care, having the right information and resources can make a difference. Explore ASCI’s resources for kinship families and find helpful information to support you along the way.