ӣ����Ƶ

Starting when she was 19, Fisher did a few stints in prison, mostly for bad-check charges. Her last stint ended in 2011, and her life outside prison has been a whirlwind ever since.

She earned multiple degrees, including graduate degrees from Washington University and Eden Theological Seminary. She became a licensed clinical social worker and a drug and alcohol abuse counselor. She started a nonprofit — Soulfisher Ministries — that serves children of parents in prison and offers after-school programs.

Over the years, the nonprofit has met various state requirements by the Department of Mental Health and other regulatory agencies. Every time Fisher needs a permit, she gets fingerprinted and fills out new forms, outlining her criminal history. It’s a mission for her. She believes people deserve a second chance, and she’s a walking example of how important that is in our society. Her past doesn’t define her, even when the state tries to make it so.

In 2022, I wrote about one time Fisher submitted a fingerprint that didn’t go well. With her own child grown, she wanted to become a licensed foster parent. She had built a nice home in Lake Saint Louis, and she had the skills, time and money to help take care of other children.

The state Children’s Division said no, citing Fisher’s conviction from 1995 related to a spat with a former boyfriend. That offense — the only one with a connection to violence on her record — doesn’t show up on public searches because she received a suspended imposition of sentence.

The same division that in its reports called Fisher’s accomplishments “extraordinary” denied her the chance to be a foster parent, despite a massive need. With the help of the American Civil Liberties Union, she challenged the decision in court. She lost. At her Court of Appeals hearing, one of the judges offered words of encouragement, before later ruling against her.

“Thank you for everything that you’re doing,” Judge Gary M. Gaertner Jr., said from the bench. “Please continue your service.”

Fisher took that as a challenge. The next year, she applied to be a foster parent again. Things were trending in the same direction until state Rep. Deb Lavender got involved. The Democrat from Manchester was nearing the end of her term when she heard from Fisher and agreed to look into the case.

“Why are we giving her a license to take care of kids but not letting her be a foster parent?” Lavender wondered.

After Mike Kehoe became governor in January, he appointed Jessica Bax to lead the Department of Social Services, which supervises the Children’s Division. Lavender knew Bax well from her time working on the House budget committee. Bax had worked for multiple state departments, including at least one that had licensed Fisher’s nonprofit. Lavender, by now out of office, called Bax and asked for her help.

“She saw the big picture,” Lavender said. “Everybody in that department is overworked and underpaid. I think sometimes it’s easier to say no than yes.”

In March, Bax agreed to have an independent agency examine whether Fisher was qualified to be a foster parent.

“When this particular case came to my attention, I asked the DSS team to review the most current information available,” Bax said in an emailed statement. “This review encompassed multiple aspects the department may consider when making decisions for foster care licensing, including the applicant’s overall background as well as any approvals to provide care to children through other state agencies, to ensure a comprehensive picture for making a decision.”

Last week, Fisher found out she was approved. By the weekend, she was already caring for two boys, 10 and 12, who needed an emergency placement.

A three-year battle in which Fisher thought the left hand of state government didn’t know what the right hand was doing finished with a happy ending.

“It makes me feel good,” she told me. “I broke a barrier and paved the way for somebody else to walk down this path.”