Colleen, 18, was surrendered at what’s called a “Safe Haven” box in the city of Clermont, Florida when she was only a day old. As an infant, she was received by Battalion Chief Dan Miller at Lake County Firehouse No. 112, and just several weeks later, she was placed with an adoptive family.
This young lady has now graduated from high school and reunited with many of the stations’ firefighters who received her the day she was left at the Safe Haven box who helped change her life forever. This is the kind of story that will turn your heart into a puddle. Be prepared to melt, ladies and gentlemen.
Lake County Fire Rescue decided to snap a bunch of photos with Colleen over the weekend and reported that the young woman is now “thriving,” despite the difficult circumstances by which she entered the world, which they posted on social media.
https://www.facebook.com/LakeCountyFireRescue/posts/1271041114222209?ref=embed_post
It’s clear from the very first moment this young lady entered the world, God was looking out for her. He saved her from what was likely going to be a horrific childhood and instead, provided her with a loving family and a future that probably surpassed her birth mother’s wildest dreams. How can you see a story like this and not see God’s grace?
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via FaithIt:
Back in 2018, Colleen visited Firehouse 112 with her parents for the first time since she was left there as an infant. She was reunited with Dan Miller, and embraced as part of their firehouse family.
On that day, they even named a firetruck after the baby who was trusted to them almost eleven years prior. A nervous Dan gave her a bouquet of flowers, and an equally nervous Colleen got a tour of the firehouse, trucks, and day-to-day life of the men who received her on that fateful day.
Fast forward to 2024, and Colleen is making her rounds again, posing in a photo with Dan Miller and four others who were there when she was safely left with them 18 years ago.
“Join us in congratulating Colleen on her huge accomplishment,” Saturday’s post from the firehouse said. “We are so proud of you!”
People immediately started responding to the post with comment after comment, celebrating the life of Colleen and the men who will now and forever be a part of her life story. This is really cool.
“Look at all the fathers she has!!!!” One user said in the comments. “God Bless!!”
“Congratulations Colleen and thank you to the momma who bravely placed her baby in that box knowing she would be safer there than with her,” stated another.
“I love, love, LOVE this post and know Colleen will go on to do amazing things! Congratulations, sweetheart,” proclaimed another commenter. “To the heroes at Station 112, thank you for being wonderful humans.”
Florida’s Safe Haven program is a life-saving initiative designed to provide a safe, legal, and anonymous option for parents who feel they cannot care for their newborns. The program allows parents to surrender their unharmed infants, up to seven days old, at designated Safe Haven locations without facing criminal charges for abandonment.
Safe Haven Locations include fire stations, hospitals, and emergency medical services (EMS) stations.
Parents who are wanting to give up their newborn babies can do so to any on-duty personnel on staff at a Safe Haven location. The individual who receives the child will make sure they are safe and have not been harmed in any way. There are no questions asked of the parent in order to protect their anonymity. This is designed to encourage individuals who might be scared of blow back from others, including family members, who might not support the decision to give the infant away, even though there could be good reasons for making that choice.
If the baby is left unharmed at one of these locations, the parents will not face charges of abandonment. The little ones are given medical care if needed and placed with a licensed adoption agency. The workers at the agency then work diligently to ensure the infant will be placed in a loving home.