Success Stories
Renewal
Jennifer's Success Story
As a young girl, Jennifer was violated by a trusted family member. Traumatized by the event, she turned to alcohol as an escape. Eventually Jennifer’s mother made the decision to send her to Boys Town. Surrounded by positive role models and supported by her Family-Teachers, Jennifer was able to overcome her past struggles and become a bright, energetic young woman who is full of hope for the future.
Watch Jennifer's Story
Jennifer: He told me he was going to take me with his girlfriend to this place they always stay. But his girlfriend wasn't there and he raped me there. After that happened, after I got raped, I feel like, yeah. I... I had to be somebody else, I don't know. I ended up in the hospital a couple of times for drinking excessively. I thought about ending my life. I don't know. I never think about it here. I'm always busy thinking about other stuff.
Joey: One of the biggest things that we do is we encourage all of our girls to be active, to be a part of something, of just really kind of putting themselves out there, and getting to be a part of a team, and you know, kind of fostering that environment of you can be loved.
Heather: And just helping her to get a positive group of female friends that are going to tell her how awesome she is at whatever she's doing and not needing that male figure to give her that attention.
Jennifer: My life has changed. I'm going to be the first generation to go to college, and I'm trying to make my parents proud.
Heather: It's very rewarding knowing that we've been part of that, just seeing her growth from the beginning to now, and how when she first came, her biggest goal was just make it to graduation or make it to whenever she leaves. And now we help her with filling out college applications.
Joey: Jennifer has done a great job of making our job easy, and just more of...she's accepting all of the feedback. She's doing all of the things that we're implementing and telling her to do, and she's really putting in that hard work. And you know, she's really one of those kids I think that you can just see the see that she does cares. She cares about growing up and being somebody, as opposed to just being a statistic.
Jennifer: If my mom wouldn't have taken me to Boys Town, I would have either ended my life, or somebody else would have done it for me. Like, thanks, mom. I tell her, I'm like, "Thank you. Even though we have had our struggles, I know that you're always going to be there for me, and I just want to let you know that I love you." I've never said that to her. Never. It's just hard, and I'll just thank her. Boys Town is an opportunity for you to fix your life. I think I'm set for a good future.
