Boys Town South Florida has been serving the community for more than 33 years, continuing to be a beacon of hope for many children and families. Stories like Juan’s remind us of the importance of our work and why we need your support to help youth and families in need. Juan’s story is part of our Care Coordination Services (CCS), a program that connects families to essential community resources and helps them get on track for a brighter future. Our CCS Consultants advocate for each family’s needs and develop service plans tailored to those needs. Here is Juan’s story:
Juan has been facing overwhelming emotions due to the passing of his mother. At just 16, a critical age for a teenager, Juan has experienced a major loss and sometimes struggles with expressing himself and self-control. To make matters worse, increased bullying at school has made coping with his grief even harder. Juan’s father, determined to support his son, switched him to a different school where he would receive more attention. Juan’s father also enrolled in the Boys Town South Florida Care Coordination Services program, where we work closely with the Cambar family and other involved parties to identify strengths and needs, develop service plans, connect the family to critical resources and monitor ongoing progress.
After several months in the program and attending therapy sessions at our Behavioral Health Clinic, Juan’s father shared this about the experience:
“The main thing out of this entire experience is that before, I used to be one of those old-school parents where therapy wasn’t a thing, and when someone mentioned it, people would go, ‘No, I don't need therapy.’ But honestly, attending sessions made the relationship between my son and me a lot stronger, and now I have become an advocate where I tell other parents the benefits of therapy. It really changes your perception, and it opens your mind up to find things that would help him, which in turn helped me. One-on-one sessions with Dr. Marcela helped me see how I can navigate certain things in my life to help him. Even though people have written multiple books about parenting, in my opinion, there will never be one book that covers it all, since everyone is unique, and my son’s needs are different from those of other kids. Boys Town South Florida really changed my perception of how to help Juan.”
At Boys Town South Florida, we take a holistic approach, focusing not only on Juan’s current needs but also on the needs of his entire family to ensure they thrive. Juan has made a complete change, and he has a hopeful outlook on life. His passion for soccer is contagious, and his current ambition is to become a Navy SEAL. The school he currently attends has a Navy veteran who has acknowledged Juan’s success in the school. The Cambar family is a testament to how transformation is possible.
Together, we give families and youth like Juan hope for a brighter future.