Dear Boys & Girls Town:

Our daughter has been in and out of foster homes from ages 3 to 9. We adopted her at age 9. She was severely abused by her biological parents. It has been a long road for her. Although we tried to give her some of her childhood back, we could not give her all the help she needed. We went through several counselors, none seemed to help. Things with my daughter got worse so the counselors suggested mental health hospitals. She has been in several hospitals over the years. We were to the point of having to emancipate her because of her behavior. When the last hospital said they could not help her, we were at a loss; we knew she could not come home the way she was. She went from bad to worse. The hospital did not know what else to do. We were given three months to find a new placement for our daughter.

We love our daughter very much and only want the best for her.

We were handed a list of several hospitals. None of them would have anything to do with our daughter due to her severe history. That is when we found Boys & Girls Town. It was a godsend and we realized that after we talked to them.

Well I don’t think our daughter was expecting what happened. She immediately told us she did not like it because she had to EARN privileges. She could not get away with things like she used to in the hospitals. That was just what our daughter needed; she felt the world owed her – not the other way around. This program actually made her work on herself in order to get to higher levels and have the trust or levels that she wanted. The hospitals she was in did not have a staff that cared about the kids. I am not putting down the hospitals; they were just set up differently. The healing process began, they keep her very busy so she doesn’t have time to get into as much trouble; of course she is still a teenager!
 
The ladies that take care of our daughter have at different times shown that she means more to them than just another behavioral kid that comes through. But most of all they hold to a set of moral values, and hold the kids to these values and this rubs off on the kids. That is the biggest difference in Boys & Girls Town compared to other places that our daughter has been. This teaches the kids more than anything else. Without morals I do not believe that these kids have any reason to change. The ladies have always been firm but fair with good and bad consequences. They are always there when she needs them.

Her counselor, Jim, is a wonderful counselor. He goes the extra mile for her, and she likes him. The help that Jim has provided our daughter has been above and beyond the call. But he just sees that as normal. This is what blows me away. Jim has gone out of his way to clear his schedule for family sessions to work around our schedule. He is more interested in seeing that our daughter gets what she needs to get better and back into family life.

Everyone that has been involved in our daughter’s treatment has had the same attitude. That is very important. Once there was an issue that developed after a visit with our daughter. Jim had already gone home for the day. I left him a message on his answering machine that night, and the next morning the issue was being taken care of.

He has gotten her involved in horse therapy that has helped. They have also gone camping twice since she has been there. She loves camping.

We see major improvements in our daughter’s attitude and decision making process every day. She has started to heal thanks to Jim and all the staff. We are happy she is finally moving forward. Myself, Jim, and the other staff work together to help her heal from her past. Our daughter still has a long way to go but I am confident that as long as she chooses to get better she will, with the help from Boys & Girls Town.

The performance and caring that everyone has shown has helped our daughter in ways you may never know about. Without your part in her treatment she would not be where she is now. I am kept informed by Jim and also know of your OUTSTANDING involvement with my daughter. This combination is in my opinion unequaled in result making anywhere else.

Thank you.