When Casheay arrived in Kansas in September 2023, she carried everything she owned in a single suitcase. She had $300, her young daughter, Chloé, and another baby on the way. Together with her boyfriend, Chris, she left behind the familiar to pursue something bigger.
“I always knew I wanted to build a stable life for my own children,” Casheay said.
A New Start for Her Family
That determination grew from her own childhood. As the second oldest of seven children raised by a single mother, she learned resilience early. Life taught her to survive. Becoming a parent inspired her to build a stronger future. Her family’s fresh start wasn’t easy.
Casheay and Chris stayed with her brother while trying to save money before their baby arrived. After their daughter was born in February 2024, they realized the crowded living situation was no longer the right environment for a newborn. They moved into a hotel while searching for permanent housing. Eventually, they found a place to call home. Casheay found work, and life began moving in the right direction. Then new challenges emerged.
Finding Support Through KCSL
Casheay was caring for her infant while helping her mother through illness and supporting two brothers who depended on her. Everyone looked to Casheay for help, but she had few people she could lean on herself. That’s when she found Kansas Children’s Service League’s (KCSL) early childhood home visitation services and met her family support worker.
“I was carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders,” Casheay said. “KCSL became more than just a resource. It became my outlet.”
For the first time in a long time, someone was focused on helping Casheay reach her own goals. During home visits with her family worker, they talked about parenting, family needs and the future Casheay envisioned. She shared her dream of returning to school and becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) so she could create greater financial stability for her family. Her family support worker encouraged Casheay every step of the way and connected her with community resources that helped turn her goals into reality. Through a workforce training program, Casheay earned her CNA certification, and today, she works in her new career less than a mile from her home.
Celebrating New Milestones
The milestones didn’t stop there. On Mother’s Day 2025, Chris proposed. The couple married that September while balancing work, parenting and all the demands of everyday life. Looking back, Casheay sees just how far her family has come. She credits much of that transformation to having someone who believed in her.
“Thank you KCSL for being the support system I didn’t know I needed,” Casheay said. “When the world felt overwhelming and I wasn’t sure of myself, you gave me the resources and the confidence to keep going. You didn’t just give me information. You gave me a path to my own strength.”
Prevention Starts with Strong Families
For 30 years, KCSL’s Healthy Families Kansas has helped parents strengthen their families, one relationship at a time. Families like Casheay and Chris’ remind us of what prevention looks like in action. It starts by meeting parents where they are, building trusting relationships and connecting families with the support they need before challenges become crises. Every family’s journey is different. But when parents have encouragement, practical resources and someone in their corner, they can build the future they want for their children.
“I was carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. KCSL became more than just a resource. It became my outlet.”
Casheay
