At ten years of age, Tyler entered foster care. Over the next six years, he moved in and out of various foster homes as he struggled to find a place where he belonged. He learned early on to be very independent.
In the early spring of 2018, Tyler found himself making the trip to My Friend’s House (MFH) in Franklin for yet another stop in his journey. Tyler's goal then was to make it to his 18th birthday so he could go his own way.
It was at MFH that Tyler first met the Hindes family. Eric and May Hindes were very involved with MFH - Eric was a board member and May often made delicious food for the boys. During one of these occasions, the Hindes family really connected with Tyler. They had never considered foster care before, but after spending more and more time with him, they felt led to take on this challenge.
The Hindes Family applied in early summer of 2018 to become Tyler’s foster parents. During that summer, Eric and May attended PATH (Parents as Tender Healers) training through the Department of Children's Services and completed the steps to become foster parents. They were ready to take Tyler "home”. It did not take long for the entire Hindes family and Tyler to realize that Tyler was destined to be a permanent member of their family.
Six months later in February of 2019, they found themselves before the judge who had presided over Tyler’s care all these years, but this time Tyler was getting his forever family. The Hindes became a family of five.
While at MFH, Tyler proved to be a hard worker and particularly enjoyed doing yard work. He loved playing UNO (cards) and video games, fishing, and writing music. He hated getting up early but did what he had to do to complete the program. The program at MFH provides the boys with occasions to meet and interact with people in the community. These interactions offer boys like Tyler opportunities to improve their education, learn valuable life skills, and even sometimes meet their forever families. May and Eric remain active volunteers at MFH and they are truly grateful for finding their son through our program.
