VERSAILLES, Ky. — A Versailles nonprofit is working to help children born to parents who are actively addicted to drugs. 

Blameless Children helps restore relationships between the kids and their families.

Her close call was a wake-up call Rachel Savage said she needed.

“Last thing I remember was shooting my mother up, and then waking up to paramedics in my face and a cop telling me that I was being arrested,” Savage said.

Not arrested for overdosing, but for endangering a minor. 

“Me and my mother had just come in from getting drugs and my mom and I went to my daughter’s room. That’s where we actually always used to be in Jayla’s room,” Savage said.

After spending 18 days in jail, Savage lost her daughter, Jayla Carter, to the state.

“I remember the first responder. I also remember when I went to foster care for five days. And that was probably one of the most emotional five days in my life because I didn’t know anybody,” Carter said.

At five years old, Carter eventually went to live with her aunt, living with her cousins, going to church and creating a new life. 

“I remember one day my aunt Jessica came to pick me up, and that made my heart beat so fast,” Carter said.

Now 10 years later, Savage is clean and has custody of her daughter. The two take part in an organization called the Blameless Children. It’s a nonprofit providing resources and opportunities for children born into active addiction. 

“[We had] no food and refrigerator, you know, no clean clothes. Literally sent her to school with her hair matted, smelled like cigarettes,” Savage recalled. “I would pull dirty clothes out of bags, whatever was the cleanest.”

Giving a voice to the voiceless, the organization has given Carter a platform to share her story of faith. And even with tedious tasks like laundry, Carter is grateful to have her mother in her life.

“I feel like I have someone to vent to and tell my feelings, too,” Carter said.

Savage said she couldn’t be more proud of her daughter and who she has become.

“She’s grown into a beautiful, beautiful young lady and God is in the center,” Savage said.

It’s a rekindled relationship Savage and Carter are lucky to have. And a story they share often to help other blameless children find their purpose and worth.

The Blameless Children will host their annual event in June, showcasing the talents of many blameless children, while providing a community to help those struggling with addiction.