Born to Serve: The Story Behind Legacy Mission

I believe I was born to live a life of service to others. One of my earliest memories is of the lady next door who was a foster parent. She wasn’t especially warm or nurturing, and even as a child, I remember thinking to myself, “I could be a kinder foster mom someday.”

Years later, after birthing two children of my own, the opportunity to foster came to me. Over time, I welcomed nearly two dozen children into my home. That journey eventually led to adoption, and soon I heard the cry of my new daughter, a little girl born prenatally exposed to drugs. Just as I had advocated for all the children who came through my door, I became her fiercest advocate.

Alongside my personal journey, I have worked with numerous community agencies in roles such as Parent Peer Supporter, Family Visitation Facilitator, Family Advocate, and End of Life Doula. I created The Village Work & Play Space, a gathering place where families could connect. None of it ever felt like work because I was being of service for those in need.

During that time, I formed relationships with people who had loved ones that were entangled in addiction and recreational use of various drugs. Others had endured the heartache of losing their loved one to suicide, and some to over prescription of pain killers and medications that were supposed to help with mental health issues. I sat and held space while they grieved for the future they would never share with their loved ones.

And then I became one of them.

My daughter lost her birth father to an overdose. I walked beside her through the grief and trauma of being born into addiction and losing a parent to the drug crisis. Through that process, I had to face the fact that my daughter was visited by the same demons that took her dad. I had to remember that in the past, she too had been involved in drug use. The only thing that brought me any peace was that she had chosen to stop about two years previously. But still, I could not ever think we were now immune to such a tragedy.

That experience strengthened my resolve to do more—not only for her, but for other families like ours.

From this, the Legacy Mission was born. Legacy Mission exists to honour the lives lost to the drug crisis and to support the families and communities left behind. It is a compassionate platform where stories can be shared, memories preserved, and voices unite to inspire healing and change.

Through remembrance, advocacy, and connection, we transform grief into legacy, in the hopes to shape a better future for our shared communities.

"The artwork on this mug was created by my first foster child. I'm sharing it to honour all the children born into addiction. May the world learn to be kinder to them."

A single Facebook memory changes the course of a mother’s life: a daughter in danger, a family holding its breath, and a community stepping in at the right moment. From that moment, we open a wider lens on the drug crisis—what it looks like inside a home, inside a hospital, and inside the hearts of people who refuse to give up.