Stories of Help and Hope
The following scenarios are the types of stories we hear from hurting kids. We need your help!
I am an orphan from Russia. People here in the United States just don’t understand me. I hit, bite, scratch, and scream to get attention because no one really cares about me.
Russian
Orphan
I joined a gang here in Chicago just to have someone who cares about me. It is pretty cool sometimes as I actually get to make decisions and others will take orders from me. There is a part of me that cares about my parents, but they are really too busy to care about what matters to me. I got the best grade in Math class for the whole year, but they just set my paper down when I showed it to them. The gang I joined is doing some things that I don’t always like, but it is a way to find respect.
Gang
Member
I have great parents but something within me keeps me from doing what is right. I use to go to church but I quit doing that a couple of years ago. I smoke marijuana, but that is just to withdraw from reality. A lot of the other kids do it in school and we get by one day at a time. Now my parents are afraid of me because they say I do bad things and they have to lock the kitchen cabinets and all of the bedroom doors because they think I am going to steal from them or worse. I guess I don’t know what I have done some of those times.
Drug
User
I was left at the Hospital because I had a cleft pallet and as a baby I was not cute. Division of Family Services passed me from one house to another. I kept hoping for a real home, and then when I got the chance, I made this family mad because I had never learned to obey my parents.
Rejected
Birth Defect
My parents keep on moving, and so I had no friends until I decided to join a group of kids in doing drugs. Now, I am hooked and I do things that I wish I wouldn’t do. I can’t stop myself. Will someone help me? I am angry at myself for the way I have treated others, especially my family.
Drug
User
Words from Parents
Before
After Help from LUC Boys Ranch
- “Help us PLEASE! The Police just called to say they have our son in custody for a gang robbery. They say that he says we are next on his hit list. What can we do?”
- “My son is out of control. His anger causes us to fear our own lives. I have a degree in Special Education, yet I can do nothing to help my son. He is either gone or at parties each night.”
- “Our son has been to many different treatment programs and he is getting worse. We have exhausted all of our funds trying to get him help. Will you please help us?”
- “I am a widow and I have 4 children. I need help but I don’t have any money. My son is heading for trouble but since he has not committed a crime, no one will help me and I can’t afford to get him help”
- “The counselor I was going to for help is calling to turn in my son for hitting my other son. I am a single mom, the father has left us, and I have used all of my resources to get him counseling. I have no where to turn. I feel betrayed and afraid that I will loose my son. Can you HELP? “
- “I can’t believe this is MY SON! The hate is gone from his eyes, and he actually hugged me and said that he loved me. We haven’t seen this side of him for many years!”
- “You are doing a good job in treating my son. Each time I come to stay on the Ranch to see my son, I have felt the love and dedication of the staff for the boys. Thanks.”
- “After just 4 months, we can hear a change in our son’s voice when we talk to him on the phone. We are thankful and delighted. We know he is in the right place now.”
- “The laughter has returned to our home. My son is now helping around the house and he is teaching my younger children many of the lessons he learned at the Ranch. This wouldn’t have been possible without your help.”
The ending to this story, and many others like it, is still out. The mother is awaiting someone to help sponsor her son. She has moved from place to place just to find work and put food on the table. Will YOU help her family? If the answer is YES, then please fill out the SPONSORSHIP form for a needy boy.