Karly’s Story

Karly came from an affluent family that lived on the West Coast. Her mom and dad owned a successful business in the housing industry, working long hours to build their business so the family could enjoy the fruits of their labor. With her parents at work much of the time, Karly took advantage of her affluence and freedom from close supervision. Eventually, Karly got in trouble with the law. Then, financial disaster struck her family when the economy nosedived and the housing market tanked. In addition, the family learned Karly’s mom had cancer.

These troubles, combined with Karly’s continued poor choices and struggles, overwhelmed her parents and they began to look for help. A family member suggested Boys Town.

When Karly arrived at Boys Town, she spent a short time in the Intensive Residential Treatment Center, the most intensive and restrictive level of care within our Integrated Continuum. After 30 days, Karly was well enough to move directly into our Treatment Family Home program and continue her care in a loving family. Four months after her arrival, tragedy struck: Karly’s father was killed in a freak hunting accident. Just two months later, Karly’s mom lost her battle with cancer.

She was devastated, and life as she had known it was over. It took time, but gradually, with the love, compassion, encouragement and care of her Family-Teachers, Karly worked through her grief and began to gain strength and hope. She accepted the help she needed, and soon came to realize it was up to her to build a new life. Boys Town became her new home.

Karly embraced what Boys Town offered and developed a strong desire to move forward toward success. She was a varsity athlete, a Boys Town Ambassador and a tour guide, and she even ran for Mayor of Boys Town. Most semesters, Karly’s grade point average was at 4.0, and she took Advanced Placement classes to get ready for college.

Karly’s hard work and dedication lead to impressive success in the classroom, which resulted in two college scholarships. She’s planning to attend Creighton University, where she’ll study business. Karly hopes to one day open and run her own business, just like her parents.

This article appeared in the Summer 2010 Boys Town National Journal. Download your copy today.

The stories provided about the children and families in our care are real. In some cases, names my be changed and details altered to protect their privacy and therapeutic interests.