Keeping Kids Safe: Stories from 40 Years - A Conversation with Emily & Delores, our Senior Family Empowerment Director & Family Empowerment Counselor

As the Saint Louis Crisis Nursery celebrates 40 years of Keeping Kids Safe and Building Strong Families, we continue to reflect on the people whose daily work alongside families brings our mission to life.

Today, we’re honored to highlight two members of our Family Empowerment Program team, Emily Ayers and Delores Neal. Through their reflections, we gain a deeper understanding of what it means to partner with families during moments of challenge, to celebrate progress in all its forms, and to walk alongside caregivers as they build stability, hope, and long-term change.

Their insights reflect the heart of the Family Empowerment Program: connection, consistency, and a belief in the strengths of every family we serve.

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What is a moment, interaction, or aspect of your work in the Family Empowerment Program (FEP) that has stayed with you over time?

Emily: “The relationships we make with families—they never forget us.”

Delores: “The relationships built through the program stay with families long after crisis moments have passed. Families often enter the program seeking support with basic needs and stability, but through engagement in their Therapeutic Plan, they discover they are being empowered to build a pathway toward long-term success.” Delores describes her role as walking alongside families through their journey: listening, empathizing, and celebrating their growth every step of the way.

In your work with families, what does progress or a positive shift often look like?

Emily: “Progress is often seen in small but meaningful milestones: maintaining employment, securing housing, accessing services for children, obtaining transportation, or shifting language and discipline approaches at home.”

Delores: “Progress looks like transformation over time: families moving from crisis to stability, often after navigating significant grief, loss, and adversity.” She shares that it is deeply meaningful to witness clients overcome barriers and begin to build sustainable lives for themselves and their children.

The Family Empowerment Program is rooted in partnership. What does that look like in practice?

Emily: “Partnership means walking alongside a parent: offering information, support, and encouragement without making decisions for them. It is about empowerment, not direction.”

Delores: “Partnership means listening, empathizing, and helping families identify solutions together. Sometimes that means removing barriers, sometimes it means identifying resources, and sometimes it simply means slowing down and adjusting goals so they feel achievable. It is a shared process built on trust.”

What strengths do you consistently see in the families you work with?

Emily: “Resilience, strength, resourcefulness, love for their children, and kindness in the face of adversity.”

Delores: “Resilience and determination are constant. Families demonstrate the ability to overcome hardship and continue moving forward for the sake of their children.”

What role does community and relationship-building play in helping families move toward stability?

Emily: “The Crisis Nursery cannot do this work alone; we rely on strong community partnerships and support networks to help families succeed.”

Delores: “Building a support system is essential. The more connections and resources a family has, the greater the opportunity for stability and long-term success.”

What role do you play in supporting families through their journey?

Delores: “FEP Counselors provide both emotional and concrete support, serving as coaches, advocates, and encouragers. They help families navigate barriers, identify resources, and adjust goals when needed, always working alongside them toward progress.”

She shared that one of the most rewarding parts of the work is seeing former clients thrive long after graduating from the program, including one mother who went on to become a first-time homeowner after overcoming significant barriers to education, employment, and childcare.

In one sentence, what do you hope every family gains from their time in the program?

Emily: “Safety and hope.”

Delores: “A sense of empowerment and the belief that they can build a successful future for themselves and their children.”

Together, Emily and Delores remind us that the Family Empowerment Program is built on trust, partnership, and the belief that families are the experts in their own lives. Through steady support, encouragement, and connection, families are empowered to move from crisis toward stability, and toward the futures they envision for themselves and their children.