"I was 14 and going through a lot of depression. I was having a lot of grief with my family. I had no self confidence. I couldn't really talk to people. I got picked on at school so I started to pick on others. I felt like I couldn't reach out to anyone. I'd go weeks without speaking with my family. I had so much anger that I couldn't release. I got mixed up with the wrong people. I got into drugs and doing bad stuff. The turning point came when my grandparents picked me up from the police station. They put me in school but I wasn't really coping. All I wanted to do was stay at home with them for as long as I could and not work.

Someone down the road told me about BoysTown so I decided to go check it out. They got me started on an employment program. They sat me down and showed me stuff. If I didn't get it, they sat me down again and again until I finally got it. They taught me at my own pace and stuck with me. They helped me out a lot. They gave me a pen and paper and asked me to write down what I wanted to do with my life. No one had really asked me that before.

They gave me the confidence to feel like I could get on. I was always someone that had my head pulled on. I just needed someone to show me the way. All it takes sometimes is someone telling you that you can get there. They taught me that the best way sometimes is to let other people help you. They showed how to get up and help people and not hide in the corner.