The Upper Valley Haven
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Haven Stories
Former Shelter Guests
Kadie French
Ever since Kadie French was a young girl, she has known what she wanted to do with her life. “When I was in first grade, I would go around saying I wanted to be a whale and dolphin trainer. I had no clue what the term marine biologist meant.” Now a senior at Hartford High School, Kadie is moving closer to making this dream a reality. This spring, Kadie was accepted into Marine Biology Programs at two different colleges—University of Maine at Machias and University of Southern Maine—as well as the pre-Marine Biology Program at the University of Oregon. “I almost dropped the phone,” says Kadie, about when the University of Maine admissions officer called her to tell her she was accepted.
“The Haven has been a positive place in a world that doesn’t always feel so positive.”
For any senior in high school, this accomplishment is no easy task. But the challenges Kadie French overcame to get to this point are quite extraordinary. For eight months during her freshman and sophomore years, Kadie and her family were homeless. During this time, Kadie, her mom, and her two sisters lived with friends, in a local motel, and with The Haven family shelter for five months. Juggling the stress of living in a motel and in a shelter, Kadie still managed to make honor roll.
During her time living at The Haven, Kadie came to the after school Homework Club. “The Haven has been a positive place in a world that doesn’t always feel so positive,” she says. Her two younger sisters, Jessye and Myrandah, still come regularly to the Homework Club. And Kadie continues to go on field trips and to local music and theatre performances through The Haven’s Enrichment Program. Kadie’s favorite field trip? The New England Aquarium, of course.