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Recently, we had an intelligent, hard-working young man in our care. His name was Demonte* and he was 15 years old. One day, he got upset in class and took off out of the building like he was planning to run away. This is not an uncommon reaction from the children in our care. Many have been taught that their only two options, when circumstances are beyond their control, are fight or flight. This time, Demonte chose flight.

Lisa, one of our amazing Youth Care Specialists, followed after him and was calling out his name to stop him from walking away. Finally, he did stop and Lisa was able to convince him to return. Later that afternoon, when he was talking through what had happened, he said, “When I heard Mrs. Lisa saying my name, it made me realize that no one in my family or in my life would ever have cared if I ran away. The only reason I stopped is because I knew Mrs. Lisa must care about me because she came after me.”

This is just one story, among hundreds each year, that shows how much our youth care staff impact the children in our care – every day. It is an honor to be here for these kids when they need us the most.

*name and image changed to protect privacy