Agency Newsletter | Winter 2025
Richard’s Second Chance at Fatherhood Sometimes second chances come from unexpected places. For Richard Wyche, it came from a meeting with OhioGuidestone Clinical Supervisor Cheryl Hines and her staff. Richard was seeking a chance to reclaim his role as a father to his 6-year-old son who was in foster care under permanent custody. Richard had lost custody when his substance use led to a prison sentence. Now in recovery, Richard joined OhioGuidestone’s parent mentoring program. The personalized, oneon-one program addresses case-specific needs of each parent, which is how he met Cheryl Hines. When OhioGuidestone first became involved in his case, Richard wasn’t receiving regular or consistent time with his son. Hines and her staff encouraged Richard to advocate for his rights as a parent and he did.
“It’s not often that we see fathers fight so persistently for their children,” Hines said. “Richard’s determination to reunite with his son was nothing short of inspiring—especially with the humility and gentleness he demonstrated, he absolutely deserved a second chance, and ultimately everyone came to agree.” He said he is grateful for the loving foster care his son received saying, “They did for me what I couldn’t do at the time.” He looks back on what he used to believe was good parenting. “My actions, though illegal and destructive, were actually driven by my misguided sense of duty as a father and provider,” Richard said. “My estrangement from my son was never intentional.” Removing himself from a toxic environment and gaining education on healthier alternatives enabled continued on page 2