2. 800-687-3722
calfarley.org/donate
Cal Farley’s is committed to giving children a better future.
And, often the best way to achieve that is to help parents
change their lives, too. At the Genie Farley Harriman
Center for Women & Children, we help struggling
single mothers learn to provide for their families. Here,
young women who never expected to raise a child alone
learn parenting, money-management and vocational skills.
We’re helping build a stronger society — one family at
a time.
TO cal farley’s,
familymeans
everything
Winter 2015 • Vol. LXVI, No. 1
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Rodney Ruthart – Chairman
Greg Mitchell – Vice-Chair
Lilia Escajeda – Secretary
Dan Adams – President and CEO
Malcolm Shelton – Treasurer
Tanner Alexander
Daniel Bradley
Stan Chatman
Betty Cooper
Joe Howell
Bud Joyner
Jane King
Mike King
Debra McCartt
Fay Moore
Aaron Pan
Walter “Four” Price
Lance Purcell
Tom Roach III
Alan Roberson
J. Avery Rush III
Lenny Sadler
Shannon Stapp
Chris Storm
Tol Ware
FOUNDATION BOARD
Greg Mitchell – Chair
Tom Roach III – Vice-Chair
Joe Howell – Secretary
Dan Adams – President and CEO
Bud Joyner
Mike King
Fay Moore
Rodney Ruthart
Malcolm Shelton
DIRECTORS EMERITUS
Harold Courson
Genie Farley Harriman
Sherm Harriman
Gene Hayman
Members of the Cal Farley’s board of directors
volunteer their time and expertise
to provide leadership and guidance.
ROUNDUP STAFF
Publisher – Susan Carter, senior vice
president of development
Editor – Cary R. Varnado, senior
director of marketing
communications
Writing
photography – Ashley Baca
Cary R. Varnado
Design – Ashley Baca
Jason Brice
3. 53
8
10
13
ON THE COVER: Melody’s journey to healing
has brought her life into focus. Photo by Shannon
Richardson
OUR MISTAKE: Photo labels misidentified
the Edwards and Fischer group homes in our
Christmas issue. Roundup regrets the error.
President’s Message .................................. 2
Jacob: New Horizons ................................... 3
Melody: Beauty from ashes ...................... 5
Community-as-lab .......................................8
Latonya: Changing Directions .................10
Brooke: Accepting change .......................13
december graduates ................................14
P.O. Box 1890, Amarillo, Texas 79174-0001
800-687-3722 • calfarley.org
table of
contents
4. 2 Cal Farley’s 75th
| The Roundup
Dan Adams
President and CEO
Cal Farley’s
Cal Farley’s provides professional programs and services in a Christ-centered atmosphere
to strengthen families and support the overall development of children.
President’s Message
One choice
can make all
the difference
M
OST OF US, AT ONE POINT OR ANOTHER,
have jumped in our cars or trucks and
taken a trip across the open road. There’s
something about taking the wheel and having the
self-confidence to safely get where you want to go.
But what if you didn’t have that confidence?
What if you didn’t know where you were going?
With no destination, no map or GPS, not even a
plan in mind, where would you end up? On a
trip like that, the odds are pretty high you’d take
a wrong turn and end up somewhere you really
didn’t care to visit.
You know, many of the children Cal Farley’s
serves began their lives on just that kind of journey.
Whether by circumstance or the choices of someone
around them, these young people found themselves
traveling a very rocky road. Maybe they didn’t know
where they were going, or maybe they had an idea
and didn’t like what that path had in store.
The interesting thing about life, though, is how so
often a single choice — turning right instead of left,
for instance — can dramatically affect the direction
of our life’s journey.
A choice like turning to Cal Farley’s.
In this issue of Roundup, you’ll meet a number of
young people whose lives have carried them through
some difficult, even tragic, circumstances. Yet, at
some point, they or someone close to them chose
to stop and ask for help — to get some directions,
you might say.
At Cal Farley’s, these young people found people
who care enough to help them change direction.
More than that, though, we’re helping them build
a roadmap to give the rest of their journey hope,
purpose and new meaning.
No journey is the same; each one’s travels through
life have been unique. For Melody, the odyssey has
been one of growth — out of a destructive emotional
wildfire to create a future filled with the promise of
new life. Then, there’s Brooke, whose interpersonal
trek is restoring relationships and paving a road back
to her family. For Cal Farley’s alumna LaTonya and
her husband, life is taking the next turn — applying
the skills she learned at Cal Farley’s as they map out
a smoother future than the one she knew as a child.
With each choice, the journey takes shape.
Equipped with the power and purpose instilled at
Cal Farley’s, young people who once might have
feared what tomorrow will bring are smiling and
looking forward to the adventure.
You and I have a choice today, too. Will we work
together to make sure Cal Farley’s is able to be that
roadside haven, the place of safety and belonging
it’s been for more than 75 years?
Whether you’ve been committed to our mission
for years, or this is your first encounter with our life-
changing work, I hope you’ll join us on the journey.
It’s a long adventure — there are always new travelers
who need our help. But the smiling faces and the
stories of success assure us it’s worth the trip.
5. new
horizons
A
T NEARLY 16 YEARS OLD, JACOB LOOKS LIKE HE
belongs in the rugged, West Texas hill country in
which he resides. Everything about the young man
says “cowboy” — from his tall, slender build to the
straw hat, Western shirt and larger-than-life belt buckle. Even
his quiet, plainspoken demeanor suggests Jacob is Western,
through and through.
Having grown up on a small Arkansas farm,
Jacob’s rural roots are echoed in the environment
on Cal Farley’s residential campus at Boys
Ranch. But in his two-and-a-half years at
Cal Farley’s, Jacob has experienced things
he never would have back home.
“One of my favorite hobbies would
be robotics,” he said, adding the equally
sophisticated role of sound and lighting
technician to his list of preferred activities.
Cal Farley’s residents like Jacob can explore technical
interests like these — among many others ranging from
the agricultural to the artistic — as part of the Community-
as-Lab program. It’s a philosophy that augments what Jacob
and his peers learn in his school classrooms with hands-on
learning and experimentation. (Learn more about Community-
as-Lab and its positive impact on youth like Jacob on Page 8 of
this issue.)
“I actually wasn’t interested in (robotics) at first,” Jacob
recalled. “I was messing with one of (Technology Coordinator
Barre Wheatley’s) robots one day. It wasn’t working, and I got
it to work … I’d never thought about robotics before.”
But, once introduced to this fascinating new subject, Jacob
was hooked.
“It turned out … I had a great mind for robotics,” Jacob
beamed. “I could fix problems, I could troubleshoot … I was
just a whiz at that stuff.”
It’s just the latest turn in what’s been a breathtaking journey
for Jacob.
He was born in Arkansas to a single mother from Oklahoma.
When Jacob was still a toddler, his mother put him up for
adoption, along with his younger brother. The boys lived
in state care for a time, eventually being placed with Jacob’s
adoptive parents.
“Things went quite smooth for a while,” Jacob remembered,
“until I was about 11.”
The Roundup | Cal Farley’s 75th
3
That’s when Jacob’s brother found himself in some trouble,
which ultimately led to his being removed from the family
and adopted by a family in Virginia. The separation proved to
be a painful catalyst.
“My life started going downhill,” Jacob said. “I started
playing with fire, arson, guns ... stealing … and lying, too.”
His academic life was no better. As a homeschooled student,
Jacob had flexibility in his schedule, and he manipulated it to
his full advantage.
“Quite honestly, I wasn’t going to school. It was there, but
it wasn’t a big thing in my life,” he said. “Sixth and seventh
grades I pretty much skipped. I did nothing in them.”
At Cal Farley’s,
Jacob finds healing,
unexpected opportunities
(continued, Page 4)
6. 4 Cal Farley’s 75th
| The Roundup
Jacob continued to seek out trouble, and began running
away from home. He knew he needed to change, but how?
“I’d been told by a judge, ‘If I see you again, one more
offense, and that’s it, you’re going away,’” he said.
Jacob sought help from a family friend who operated a sheep
farm, and, while he enjoyed the environment, his troubling
behavior nonetheless continued. On the advice of someone in
their church, Jacob’s parents called Cal Farley’s for help. Soon,
they were on their way to tour Boys Ranch.
“I got told I was coming to interview at Boys Ranch when I
was 13,” Jacob remembered. “I got accepted, and about June
30 of that year, I came out here to stay. That would’ve been
around 2012.”
At first, the decision only stoked his anger over losing
his brother.
“It surprised me,” he said. “I never thought they’d do
anything like that ... I was pretty (angry) that they were just
going to leave me out here like this. … A lot of the time, what
was going through my head was ‘what parent would just leave
their kid?’”
After a few months at Cal Farley’s, though, Jacob was
adjusting well to his new surroundings — and finding more
positive challenges than getting away with theft.
“That’s what got me into robotics and sports,” he
acknowledged. “I love batting especially because it’s a
challenge of taking a bat and hitting a ball — the right angle,
the right speed. It’s a real challenge.”
Among all the sports he enjoys with his peers, Jacob said
baseball is his favorite.
“It’s a sport I’ve always loved. I’ve always loved watching
it,” he said. “I can throw — I like throwing. I’m really good at
batting. I’m an outfielder and a first baseman.”
Fun activities aside, Jacob said it’s also hard to look around
at the opportunities Cal Farley’s affords him and then show
disrespect to that.
“I just think about what I’ve been given (at Boys Ranch),”
he said. “Why steal from the people who are giving you
the best?”
And, to Jacob, “the best” includes positive relationships like
he has with his houseparents at Craig Home.
“I feel that if I ever needed something, or if I needed
someone to talk to, I can talk to them,” he said, adding
that the staff at Cal Farley’s has found a way to inspire his
self-motivation.
“I guess they see something in me,” Jacob said.
There’s a lot to see — and a lot to be proud of. Jacob is
learning to let go of his hurtful behavior, and is finding new
challenges. Whether it’s building a robotic arm, a drone to
carry cameras aloft or modeling positive relationships for his
peers, Jacob is paving a path to a very successful future.
A future in which he hopes to one day settle down and start
his own family.
“I want to be the role model people follow,” Jacob said,
“because I didn’t really have a role model. … I want to be the
role model that (my) kids want to follow.”
Until then, Jacob plans to continue working hard in his
last two years at Boys Ranch High School in order to prepare
himself for the career he’ll ultimately choose. (Right now,
robotics and welding are high on the list.)
“I’m just trying to open up windows and doors,” he said,
“opportunities for later in life.”
Whatever he chooses, Jacob said he has Cal Farley’s — and
the generous friends who support it — to thank for helping
him succeed. He knows without their commitment to Cal
Farley’s, his future would look very different.
“So, I’m happy,” he said. “And thankful.”
7. Beauty
from
ashes
W
ILDFIRE! RESIDENTS OF THE AMERICAN WEST
know all too well the unrelenting destruction these
raging, uncontrolled infernos can wreak, destroying
everything in their path and leaving a landscape
seemingly forever marked by the scars.
But after the fire comes rejuvenation. And, when life rises from the
ashes, it brings unspeakable beauty to a land dominated by desolation.
It’s a fitting metaphor for Melody’s journey.
“Beauty from ashes … that’s kind of what this is,” remarked Melody’s
mother, Carol. “That’s really what I see … a lot of beautiful things.”
Smoldering embers
MELODY, 17, CAN HARDLY RECALL A TIME WITHOUT THE BURNING
destruction of family discord. Unbearably cramped and unkempt
living quarters in the family’s Colorado home led to fights with her
six siblings. Her father’s battle with alcoholism only escalated the
bickering. At times, when her parents weren’t speaking, Melody
said she and her siblings became intermediaries. The stress took
a toll on everyone.
“They fought, or didn’t talk,” Melody said, “so we were the
communicators. It was just a crazy, unstable environment.”
Melody shared a small room with two of her sisters. They
slept on bunk beds, with Melody and one sister on the full-
size bottom bed and their oldest sister on the top bunk. The
tight confines forced Melody’s dresser into the hallway, next to
what she described as stacks of papers and “piles of stuff.” Even
Melody’s shared bed became too overrun with sundries to fit
two children.
“I slept on the couch a lot of my childhood,” Melody recalled.
“I’d see my dad either yelling at my mom … or working until
who knows when … I never really had a place to call my own.”
Despite the overwhelming obstacles, Melody managed to stay
fairly grounded. She struggled mightily to not let the emotional
devastation overcome her. As a child, she had an escape at school.
She found it enjoyable, and the structured environment gave her
a balance to her frenzied home life.
When she entered high school, that changed.
Melody overcomes
emotional wildfire
to discover
renewed purpose
The Roundup | Cal Farley’s 75th
5
PHOTO BY MELODY
PHOTO BY MELODY
8. Ignition
“I WAS A STRAIGHT-A STUDENT,” MELODY SAID, WISTFULLY, “BUT
freshman year, when I had so much … homework overload, I
just couldn’t do it.”
Her safe haven was gone.
“(School) used to be my escape,” she said. “I’d come home
and it’d be chaos. I couldn’t do my homework, and kids
started noticing. They started making fun of me for it … My
teachers started getting frustrated with me — and I was just
getting frustrated with myself.”
At home, Melody and her siblings
battled for time at the family’s lone
computer to complete online course
requirements, and Melody stayed
up late every night to complete
assignments. Desperate to help their
struggling daughter, Melody’s parents
enrolled her in an online homeschool
program. It was an attempt to relieve
pressure, but it failed. Bickering at
home, intimidation from her family
and peers, frustration and self-
loathing over her perceived failures
— the pressure grew to be too much.
Melody was tormented, crushed.
She was desperate for some measure
of control over her life. She began to
self-destruct, emotionally and literally.
Fearful for her daughter, Carol took
what action she could.
“My mom took a leave of absence to
try and help me,” Melody recalled.
For her part, Carol said it was heart-
wrenching to see her daughter suffer.
“It was overwhelming to go through
experiences like that,” she said,
describing the enormity of the situation.
It was like watching Melody die, a
piece at a time.
As the family battled the out-of-control emotional fire,
life presented them with the real thing. In summer 2013,
the Black Forest wildfire — the largest in state history —
raged across central Colorado, taking two lives, destroying
more than 500 houses and damaging scores of others,
including Melody’s.
“Our house was right at the hot spot of where it started,”
Melody recalled with a shudder. “My grandma across the
street, she lost everything.”
While Melody’s family was spared the worst of the fire’s
wrath, the damage to the house forced them out while
repairs were made.
“That made it even harder,” Carol said of the chaos,
“because you’re out of the house for five weeks.”
Where would everyone sleep? Will we really go back? Will
we be homeless? A thousand questions raced through Melody’s
mind.
From the ashes
MELODY’S FATHER, WHO WAS BEGINNING HIS OWN RECOVERY,
had recommended her to a counselor he’d been seeing.
Melody shared with her an idea — she could seek help away
from the chaos of home. The counselor offered a solution.
“I was like, ‘Cal who?’” Melody recalled with a chuckle.
“The most important thing that caught my eye is that it
was Christian-based,” Melody said. “I felt like it was the most
hands-on program out there, where there are people to help
you everywhere you go.”
She’d seen enough. Melody made
the call to Cal Farley’s herself.
“I want what’s best for each of my
kids,” Carol said. “It’s always hard to
have them not with you all the time,
but … I could see it was a place I could
entrust her to — and people who
really care.”
Soon Melody was settling into life at
Boys Ranch, a Cal Farley’s residential
program. The caring staff worked
to meet her emotional needs, but
there was the matter of her academic
progress, too.
“I came here with five credits,”
Melody said. “I was supposed to be a
junior in high school.
Knowing Melody would need at least
22 high school credits to graduate, Cal
Farley’s enrolled her in STARR Academy,
a specialized educational program at
Boys Ranch that helps youth like Melody
catch up, academically, to their peers.
“It’s at your own pace, which I
really loved,” Melody said. “It’s a great
program to get you caught up, which
was my situation … My motivation
was very high (because) I didn’t want
to ruin this opportunity that’d been
Melody enjoys exploring her visual talents as part of the Boys
Ranch Photography Club. She’s even considering incorporating it
into her career plans.
6 Cal Farley’s 75th
| The Roundup
See more online!
Hear Melody and her peers tell their
stories in their own words! Visit
calfarley.org to view one of these
exciting videos.
SO WORTH IT: Melody and her
mother, Carol, discuss the difference
Cal Farley’s has made in her life.
THROUGH THEIR EYES: View a slide
show of the Boys Ranch Photography
Club’s favorite photographs.
UNLIKELY TEAM: Members of the
photo club discuss the unique bonds
formed at Cal Farley’s.
PHOTO BY MELODY
PHOTO BY MELODY
9. Hunter
MelodyLexi
Jayson
‘We freeze time’: Melody and her photo club peers
enjoy capturing life at Cal Farley’s
The Roundup | Cal Farley’s 75th
7
given to me.”
Just one year later, Melody has caught up — and more.
She’s enrolled in dual-credit classes at Boys Ranch, allowing
her to simultaneously earn college credit for her high
school course work.
“I’m a senior with all As,” Melody grinned. “I’m taking
college classes, too!”
More importantly, as Melody looks ahead to graduation in
the spring, she is maintaining those grades and a healthy sense
of balance.
“(At Cal Farley’s), Melody saw what the well-balanced life
was like … not staying up all night and working on academics,”
Carol said. “That’s going to be a foundation for her as she goes
out into the world. I’m glad she has that to take with her.”
Melody also has a foundation of friends and a skill she’s
considering making part of her career — photography.
Brooke
(continued, Page 8)
10. One of her friends, Jayson (December graduate, Page 14),
introduced her to the Boys Ranch Photography Club, part of
the Community-as-Lab program.
“It’s a very close-knit group,” Melody said. “We’re all
comfortable being ourselves. We all, obviously, share a passion
for photography.”
Each Thursday night, the photo club members meet
with their staff adviser to learn technique, review photos or
strengthen fundamental skills.
As Melody described, in vivid detail, how she captured a
close-up of a sunflower, Carol watched her daughter — and
smiled.
“She’s come back alive,” Carol observed.
Melody nodded in agreement. She said God, through
Cal Farley’s, saved and transformed her life.
“I definitely think God brought me here,” she said. “I came
from a broken and chaotic family environment. I felt like I
wasn’t going to go anywhere or make anything of myself …
Now, I’m getting my diploma and I’ll be able to provide for
myself … I’m excited! I feel like I can go anywhere and do
anything I want.”
And, the mother and daughter agree the next steps in
Melody’s journey are possible because of the dedicated people
who support Cal Farley’s.
“Cal Farley’s … is probably the best example of love being
lived out,” Carol said, adding a message for those supporters.
“You’re doing the right thing … you’re meeting kids right
where they need help.
“How could we ever repay them?”
COMMUNITY-AS-LAB:
Youth empowered to apply
classroom concepts to real life
CAN AN ENTIRE COMMUNITY BE A LEARNING ENVIRONMENT?
In 2010, Cal Farley’s staff pondered how residents could
extend science and arts learning outside the classroom. As they
heal emotional wounds, youth also could develop hands-on skills
to use in their future lives. The result was the development of the
Community-as-Lab program.
“Community-as-Lab is an effort to use the whole community
as a learning lab for the youth,” said Cal Farley’s Executive Vice
President Mark Strother.
Essential to the program, Strother said, is understanding how
the approach empowers residents by letting them make choices
based on their interests. This helps engage them in their activities
and shows them the power of their unique talents.
“One of the main motivators in school,” Strother said, “is
when you see the application in the real world. Getting residents
involved in all of these things can motivate them back in math
class, science class, history and writing.”
Another way this highly accessible program benefits Cal Farley’s
residents is through the positive relationships they develop as
they learn from staff mentors and their peers.
“They gain a sense of belonging, relationship,” Strother said.
That’s a real key factor.”
Xavier, 17, participates in the three-dimensional design lab,
where he regularly sees his ideas come to life. A recent example
is a series of computer tables Xavier and his peers designed and
built from interlocking pieces of wood without using supporting
hardware. Xavier said the skills he’s gained — turning a concept
into a design, rendering it in 3D software and then physically
creating it — are enjoyable, but they also helped him realize how
the things he’s learning now lay the groundwork for his future.
“It’s fun, but … you need knowledge to actually use it,”
he said.
Xavier said he recalled once — before his involvement in C.A.L.
— asking his math teacher when he would ever use what he was
learning in the real world. C.A.L. has given him the answer.
“I use it (in the design lab) all of the time,” he said, “so, it’s
really helpful in showing you what you’re going to do in life.”
Xavier said his experiences in the C.A.L. program helped him
decide what career he wants to pursue after Cal Farley’s.
“I want to be (an) engineer,” Xavier explained. “If I wanted to
make a chassis, I could 3D print one or make it using wood. And,
I would apply those skills that I learn … here to make my goal
and vision happen.”
8 Cal Farley’s 75th
| The Roundup
“He has sent Me to heal the
brokenhearted … to give them beauty
for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning,
the garment of praise for the
spirit of heaviness.”
— Isaiah 61: 1, 3
Xavier prepares a project in the design lab.
11. The Roundup | Cal Farley’s 75th
9
Jason, 3D printing
Rene, technology
Sierra, garden
Austin, field guide
Elijah, recycling lab
Dustin, Woodworking
Youth make their ideas a reality by learning
to render them in 3D design software, then
bring them to life with a 3D printer.
“(I like) the whole process,” Jason said.
“It starts out as an idea in your mind that
sometimes seems too complex to put down
onto paper. And (then) there’s this satisfaction
at the very end.”
Learning how to grow organic vegetables
lets residents discover cutting-edge farming
techniques and see how these techniques are
transforming an entire industry.
“When we grow and produce crops, all of
our (effort) is paid off,” Sierra said. “We’re
giving it out to the homes (on campus) —
that’s important to me.”
Residents interested in making things
with their hands, such as Dustin, who built
a rocking bench, design and build projects
that teach creativity and teamwork.
“I’ve learned how to … make things
correctly,” he said. “(I’ve learned that) I
love hands-on (skills like) building and
repairing.”
Youth interested in the
past learn about local figures
and places, becoming woven
into Cal Farley’s history and
tradition.
“I’m researching the
history of the area of Boys
Ranch,” Austin said. “I’m
pretty big on history. I’m
going to apply that to
become an … archeologist.”
Youth learn about resource
preservation through renewable
and non-renewable sources and
apply it to local ecology. Eljah
said he loves that he’s learning
how to protect the environment.
“You can make a big difference
if everyone does their part,”
he said.
Problem-solving skills, self-confidence and out-
of-the-box thinking all are benefits of learning the
applicable sciences of rocketry and robotics. In the
rural setting of our residential campus, Cal Farley’s
staff help residents learn and explore cutting-edge
ideas.
“(I like) helping out others,” Rene said. “I want to
work for NASA (because of) rocketry and astronomy.”
C
OMMUNITY-AS-LAB IS A FLEXIBLE, EVER-
growing and adapting program that teams
Cal Farley’s youth and trained staff members
to explore residents’ unique interests and apply real-
world experience to concepts and ideas learned in
the classroom.
12. H
APPILY MARRIED AND HAVING JUST
given birth to her second child,
LaTonya is proud of the path she’s
chosen for her life.
It’s a trajectory far removed from that of
her youth. Like far too many children today,
LaTonya began a journey she never would have
chosen for herself.
“Their relationship was very … unstable,”
she said of her parents. “It was a very rocky
relationship.”
LaTonya recalled the violence that accompanied
her father’s substance-abuse problems. When
she was 6 years old, it became too much for her
mother to bear.
“In 1991, they split up and we moved to
Oklahoma City.”
But things didn’t get better. In fact, LaTonya
said, that’s when life took a very dark turn.
By the time she was 11 years old, LaTonya had
experienced terror no child should ever have
to face.
Soon, her mother and her mother’s boyfriend
were imprisoned. And, while LaTonya’s father
regained custody, he was still fighting his own
battles. As a result, LaTonya, her sister and their
father moved in with her grandmother. The
matriarch’s love for the girls was supreme, but
the role of household provider was not a burden
LaTonya moves
past pain to find
love, forgiveness
Choosing A
newdirection
10 Cal Farley’s 75th
| The Roundup
13. LaTonya’s grandmother was able to
shoulder.
“She (was) … pretty close to retirement,
and she would walk (to work) every
morning,” LaTonya recalled. “Trying to
raise two kids who were (coping) with
a traumatic event … it’s difficult on
minimum wage. You just don’t have it,
you’re not making it.”
Between financial hardship and the
lack of structure created by the necessity
of her grandmother’s work, LaTonya was
in very real danger of falling through the
cracks.
“(Grandmother) would try to get us up
in the morning, but I just didn’t want to
go to school,” LaTonya acknowledged.
“So, my attitude — at 12 years old —
became ‘well, I don’t care; why does it
matter?’”
Armed with a poor attitude about
life, LaTonya quickly transitioned from
skipping school to disappearing with
friends for days at a time.
“We’d skip school and go smoke …
drink … those actions that kids tend
to take when they’re at that point in
their life that they just don’t care,” she
remembered.
Yet even as she proclaimed her apathy,
LaTonya knew she was meant to walk a
better road.
“Inside, I … I didn’t want to be there,
I didn’t want to do those things,” she
said. “It was just more of a comfort thing
… finding something to fill those voids.”
Meanwhile, LaTonya’s grandmother
had seen enough of her drifting
through life without direction. She
was familiar with Cal Farley’s through
a distant relative. After calling to seek
help, she shared the decision with her
granddaughter.
“I was ecstatic,” LaTonya said. “I knew
that was the only opportunity I had to
change my life.”
And change it she did.
“How do you describe moments like
(coming to Boys Ranch)?” LaTonya said,
comparing the change to having her first
child. “Your life is about to change! How
it changes is up to you.”
LaTonya credits her nearly six years
at Cal Farley’s not only with providing
focus to her outgoing, risk-taking nature,
but with literally saving her life.
“(Without) the structure, the
discipline,” she said, “I’d be dead …
that’s the direction I was headed.”
A person of faith, LaTonya said she
believes Cal Farley’s was God’s way of
intervening in her life.
“I had prayed a lot — I was making
(poor) choices, but I was praying that
God would save me, protect me (from
myself).”
After graduation, one of LaTonya’s
Boys Ranch mentors helped her locate
an apartment and guided her through
purchasing her first car as she prepared
for college out of state.
Initially, though, LaTonya’s university
experience was short-lived, as her
sister found herself in need of help.
Determined to show the loyalty
Cal Farley’s had taught her, LaTonya
made the difficult choice to give up her
Cal Farley’s scholarship and move home.
She enrolled in a local college to work
on core classes, and secured work at a
nearby child services organization.
“I worked … and started school, finally
got back on track.”
LaTonya said the idea of delayed
gratification, instilled during her time
at Cal Farley’s, helped her push through
those early years of independence.
“I was willing to make sacrifices, and
I think that’s why I was successful ….
There were times I didn’t have insurance
on my car, so I rode my bike.”
At first, LaTonya struggled a bit to
balance the necessities of life and,
knowing Cal Farley’s is supported by
generous donors, she was hesitant to
ask for more help. She’d viewed giving
up her scholarship as wasting donors’
money, and she didn’t want any part of
doing that.
No, she decided she’d wait until she
knew she could finish school. About a
year later, she was ready and reapplied
for scholastic assistance.
“The first thing they asked me is,
‘What took you so long to ask?’” LaTonya
laughed. “But, I wanted to make sure
I was really committed. It’s not fair to
come ask (for) this, if I’m … not going to
be determined to finish.”
With a renewed passion and the
assistance of a Cal Farley’s scholarship,
LaTonya charged through school,
earning an associate’s degree, then her
bachelor’s. In 2013, she completed her
master’s degree in social work.
“I can’t describe my life
without (Cal Farley’s) being a part of it.
It ... just dramatically changed my life.”
The Roundup | Cal Farley’s 75th
11
14. “Just sitting back, looking at how far
(I’ve)comeisamazing,”LaTonyamarveled.
It was while she was working her way
through school that LaTonya met James,
now her husband of nearly five years.
The relationship literally was an answer
to prayer.
“I believed that God would always
provide for me,” she said, describing how
she prayed she would meet someone at
the organization where she worked or a
specific local store.
As it turned out, both requests were
answered.
One night, as LaTonya was studying
for final exams in the store she’d
referenced, she approached the counter
to purchase a cup of coffee. A co-worker
walked in and, after exchanging some
small talk, offered to pay for her coffee.
They sat together as she studied, getting
to know one another. Less than a year
later, they were engaged.
LaTonya said her experience at Boys
Ranch prepared her for independence
and gave her the communications
tools to help her establish healthy
relationships. But Cal Farley’s also places
an emphasis on familial relationships, so
what of her parents?
Shortly before his death from cancer,
LaTonya was able to rebuild her
relationship with her father, who finally
had overcome his addiction.
“Love overtakes everybody …. I
loved my dad,” she said. “And, at the
end … everything was great, and our
relationship had changed.”
In 2012, LaTonya’s mother wrote
her a letter about a prison program in
which she was participating, and asked
LaTonya to visit. Though there still was
some hesitation, LaTonya wanted to
deliver a message to her mother: You
are forgiven.
“I don’t know that I ever told her
(before then),” LaTonya said. “And, until
you let somebody know, it’s kind of hard
for them to get it.”
As LaTonya observed, she has come
a very long way. Hers has been a
journey through pain and anger into
determination, love and forgiveness.
And, LaTonya said, Cal Farley’s has
shaped the woman she’s become — and
remains a strong part of who she is,
even today.
“I can’t describe my life without (Cal
Farley’s) being a part of it,” she said. “It
… just dramatically changed my life.”
“Just sitting back, looking at how far (I’ve) come is amazing.”
Cal Farley’s believes every young adult should have the
opportunity to pursue education beyond high school.
The children we serve have walked some very broken roads in
their lives, and, while each young person will choose a different
educational path — college, post-graduate or trade school —
Cal Farley’s works with each to form a plan that best prepares him
or her for success.
Kim Reeves, Cal Farley’s alumni support administrator, said her
team diligently works to prepare residents for their transition from
high school to independent life.
“The first year is the hardest,” she said, but knowing he or she
has the resources to attend college or trade school can make the
transition a little easier.
Cal Farley’s awards scholarships to alumni like LaTonya based
on their individual needs and with the expectation of proper
stewardship. As with all Cal Farley’s programs, our scholarships are
not funded by state or federal monies, but represent the generous
gifts from the many people who support our mission.
“The scholarship fund provides access to those opportunities
they might not have had otherwise,” Reeves said, noting that
college tuition across the nation increases every year. “It’s (a
tremendous investment, but) education and training can be the
difference between somebody being part of the system or being
independent.”
Scholarships offer opportunities for independence
12 Cal Farley’s 75th
| The Roundup
15. The Roundup | Cal Farley’s 75th
13
I
T’S BEEN SAID THAT CHANGE IS THE
only constant in life, but for many
people that change is very difficult
to accept.
Such was the case for Brooke. Her parents
had separated when Brooke was very young,
and she’d lived for several years with her
mother before eventually moving into her
father’s home north of Austin, Texas. Brooke
was trying to adjust to sharing a house with
siblings. Then her father remarried. Not only
did Brooke have to adjust to a new authority
figure in the house, she also gained a
new stepsister.
“I’d been living with my dad for three
or four years … I wasn’t used to having a
stepmom,” Brooke said. “I wasn’t used to
having brothers and sisters in the house, so I
did anything I could to get attention.”
The home grew again when her parents
had a child of their own. For Brooke, it was
too much.
“Sometimes we’d have heart-touching
moments, but most of the time it (was) just
arguing,” Brooke recalled. “It was too many
people in a small room.”
Brooke felt lost in the crowd, and worse,
resentful of her new stepmother. She said she
occasionally tried talking to her father, but
their schedules often conflicted. The bitter
loneliness continued.
“I was stealing, I was disrespectful to my
parents. I did anything I could to get in
trouble,” she said. “I was getting really bad
grades. I wasn’t paying attention (at school).”
Her stepmother found out about Cal
Farley’s, and called for help. Julie Skarich,
who works in Cal Farley’s Austin office,
has worked closely with the family during
Brooke’s time in our care.
“Brooke’s parents have been very actively
involved … during her placement,” Skarich
said. “They continue to work very hard.”
While Brooke settled in at Boys Ranch,
a Cal Farley’s residential program where
she said she was warmly welcomed by her
houseparents and roommates, Skarich
worked with Brooke’s family to help lay the
groundwork for their eventual reunification.
“They’ve done a lot of education on
developmental levels,” Skarich said. “We’ve
talked about making connections in the
brain, and how kids make connections.
Then, there’s been some conflict resolution.”
While her family has been diligently
preparing for the day she’ll return home,
Brooke has been enjoying everything Boys
Ranch has to offer a 14-year-old girl, and
expressing her love for art.
“I do arts and crafts in the home,” she said.
“(Each resident has) their own little drawers
for arts and crafts.”
Brooke’s favorite activity, though, is
horseback riding.
“I love it, because it relieves stress,” she said.
While such activities are certainly fun,
each has a therapeutic purpose, helping a
child learn to release troubling emotions
and gain a better control over his or her own
responses to situations.
While Brooke has been with Cal Farley’s less
than a year, Skarich said the healing taking
place for this family is readily apparent.
“Their willingness to work hard … to see
the change in such a short period of time …
This is really in the win column.”
A family made whole and given new hope
for the future — it’s the embodiment of
Cal Farley’s philosophy: It’s where you’re going
that counts!
Brooke her family rebuild
shattered relationships
Accepting
change
16. A
FTER FACING THE CRISES THAT LED THEM TO
Cal Farley’s, some children need time before
developing a strong sense of individuality. Others
arrive with a very developed identity, and need help
learning how to apply their innate desire for independence.
Jayson definitely falls into the latter category.
“I just want to be my own person,” the December graduate
noted. “I’m just living life, trying to catch up on what I missed.”
What he missed is a healthy childhood. While Jayson’s early
years are foggy, he recalls issues of substance abuse and instability.
“I don’t remember a whole lot,” Jayson reflected. “(Our
family) was me, my mom and dad, (my two sisters) and there
were some people who came and lived with us on and off … I
really didn’t understand a lot of what was going on.”
Jayson recalled the day when he came to Cal Farley’s. He
couldn’t know then that at Boys Ranch, a Cal Farley’s residential
campus, he would find acceptance, belonging and a path to the
independence he sought.
December Graduates
14 Cal Farley’s 75th
| The Roundup
JaysonHometown: Amarillo, Texas
Residence: Pierce Home
Hobbies: Photography, reading, music
Length of stay: Seven years
“My first houseparents out here … just took me in and I
became part of the family. (They) taught me a lot about respect.”
In addition to caring staff, Jayson made friends among his
fellow residents, many of whom had similar backgrounds. He
became particularly close with a young man named Devon.
“He didn’t have a really good childhood, either. He learned
really fast how to take care of himself, and I (thought) ‘Wow, I
want to be like that.’”
Seven years after coming to Cal Farley’s, Jayson is ready to
do just that. He cited the houseparents and mentors at Cal
Farley’s with helping him develop coping skills learned as a
child into positive emotional outlets, such as portraying the
world as he sees it through his passion for photography or
developing his mind through music and literature.
“I moved around a whole lot (before coming to Cal Farley’s).
I read a lot then (as an escape),” Jayson said.
Now, though, reading has become an engaging pastime.
“I read even more now,” he said, adding that he often occupies
himself with as many as six books at a given time.
As Jayson leaves Boys Ranch, he does so knowing he’s ready
— and that those he loves will be in good hands.
“(Cal Farley’s staff) taught me how to be my own person. I
used to be worried about my sisters. … (Now), I know they have
a safe place to sleep, they have warm food, they have friends
here their own age. … I know they’re going to be taken care of.”
So what’s next for Jayson? Well, there’s choosing a college
and course of study first. Beyond that, who knows? But,
thanks to the photographic talents he developed as member
of the Boys Ranch Photography Club, Jayson knows he has
the skills for a professional career.
“I would love to keep doing photography,” he said. “It’d be
fun to get paid to do (that and) … to travel.”
So, is it daunting, facing the next turn in his life’s journey?
“I don’t want to end up behind some desk all of my life, all
day, every day. I’d rather be out doing something.”
Thanks to a determination honed at Cal Farley’s, it’s safe to
say Jayson will be out there doing something — successfully.
17. VictorHometown: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Residence: Johnson Home
Hobbies: Basketball, video games
Length of stay: Four years
The Roundup | Cal Farley’s 75th
15
December Graduates
B
ROOKLYN, N.Y., IS A BUSY CITY, A PLACE WHERE
numbers are everywhere — the number of people living
in a small space, the number of buildings packed into a
city block and even more numbers on taxis, marquees
and streets.
It’s also a place that offers endless choices — some good and
some not so good.
It’s in this environment that Victor spent the first 14 years of
his life, where he began to find his interest for numbers. And,
it’s where he began making some poor choices.
Victor’s mother worried about him growing up in the busy
city — about his safety, negative peer influences and that he
might start selling drugs like other kids. With her busy work
schedule preventing her from providing the kind of supervision
she wanted, she worried he’d become another number,
overcome by these bleak options and that he wouldn’t graduate
from high school.
As he got older, Victor’s behavior indicated such a future
was likely.
“I was getting in more trouble leading up to the time I came
(to Cal Farley’s),” Victor recalled. “I wasn’t doing (well) in
school. I just wasn’t applying myself.”
Victor’s mother knew her son had what it takes to succeed; he
just needed a healthier, more positive environment in which to
grow. So, she made a choice that would change his life.
She contacted Cal Farley’s for help.
Four years later, Victor, 17, is a high school graduate and
recognizes the invaluable change Cal Farley’s provided him by
teaching him how to apply himself and helping him formulate
a plan for independent life.
“(Cal Farley’s has) strengthened my work ethic,” he said.
“(I’ve come) from the bottom to the top, from being all over the
place to knowing what I want to do (in life).”
Don Hipp, the director of Cal Farley’s Transitional Living
Program, said Victor’s participation in the vocational training
program and other learning experiences have prepared him well
for adulthood.
“We worked with him on his educational and financial
planning,” Hipp said.
At Cal Farley’s, Victor learned more life skills, such as
budgeting, how to read a pay stub and fill out his tax return,
Hipp said.
“We taught him job-seeking skills — how to complete a
resume and do a good interview,” Hipp said.
Victor said he is grateful for the opportunities he received
at Cal Farley’s. After all, he clearly sees the dark direction he
was headed in without Cal Farley’s help.
“I don’t think I’d be going to school. I think I’d find it an
obstacle,” he said. “School wouldn’t have been a priority
of mine.”
David Edwards, one of Victor’s houseparents, saw Victor’s
growth firsthand.
“Victor is very intelligent, (which) allowed him to pick up
on what we do (at Cal Farley’s). He initially kept (to) himself,
but he became one of the leaders in the home. He’s got a
good plan because Cal Farley’s (helped) him,” he said. “I …
have high hopes for him. I think he’ll be successful.”
And, by encouraging Victor’s love of numbers, Cal Farley’s
staff helped him see that interest in a new light — as a passion
on which he can build a future when he starts college in
the fall.
“I love math and numbers. That’s my thing,” he said. “My
major … (is going to be) business management, (I’m) hoping
to become an accountant.”
With a plan in place for his future, and a feeling of
accomplishment for how far he’s come, Victor said he’s ready.
“It feels great,” he said, “because now I know that I will
have a better future.”
18. December Graduates
C
OMPLETING HIGH SCHOOL IS AN
exciting time, a milestone promising
new experiences, such as finding a
job or going to college. It also means
having faith in the opportunity it can provide.
Andrew, 18, and a December graduate, said he
had a similar experience coming to Cal Farley’s
— a chance to create a brighter future and make
positive memories while receiving the help
he needed.
Before coming to Cal Farley’s, Andrew said
he felt lost in his gargantuan Arlington, Texas,
school.
“(I was) just a small fish in a giant pond,” he
said. “I don’t think my grades would be what
they are now. I was so stressed (before Boys
Ranch),” he said, considering what his life
might have become had Cal Farley’s not been
there. “I would have never played a sport, never
thrown a football.”
Before coming to Boys Ranch about four
years ago, Andrew said he likely appeared to
be a normal boy to his teachers and peers. But
they didn’t see his struggles at home, where
he frequently found himself at odds with his
parents and struggled to control his anger.
“We could never get along. We always
fought,” he recalled. “I knew … I needed help,
as well as my family. And they realized that they
could not handle me on their own.”
Boys Ranch, a Cal Farley’s program, was
that help — a place to learn how to deal
with difficulties.
“(Cal Farley’s) helped me realize that you’re
going to have struggles,” he paused, “But the
skills (Cal Farley’s is) going to help you learn
(are) going to make those less hard to face.”
MikeWhitecotton,aBoysRanchadministrator
who took an active interest in Andrew’s life
on campus, said Andrew’s experiences at
Cal Farley’s have well prepared him for
independent life.
“He’s really smart,” Whitecotton observed. “I
think his honesty and hard work and openness
(will help him succeed).”
At Boys Ranch, Andrew gained a new
understanding of how his interests can help
him shape a positive future for himself. As he
explored the many Community-as-Lab and
vocational training programs, Andrew gained
hands-on experience that have helped him
sharpen his skills and identify potential careers.
“I want to be able to work with my hands,” he
said, shaking his hands with conviction. “I want
to be successful. I not only want to be happy,
but love what I’m doing.”
Having traded anger and fear for hope,
Andrew plans to attend college in the fall. It’s
a promising journey he’ll continue because
Cal Farley’s supporters gave him a new path to
follow four years ago.
“Their generous donations have made
a difference,” Andrew said. “I’ve always
appreciated that it takes a lot of time and effort
to put this place together and it couldn’t have
been done without all of them.”
16 Cal Farley’s 75th
| The Roundup
AndrewHometown: Arlington, Texas
Residence: Anderson Home
Hobbies: Football, working with his hands
Length of stay: Four years
19. 800-687-3722
www.calfarley.org
For more than 75 years, the loyal support of friends like you has helped
Cal Farley’s transform lives. Your unwavering commitment to our mission
has helped us become one of the nation’s largest privately funded child
and family service organizations and a leader among our peers. But, more
importantly, it’s helped us reach even more families who need our help.
For all you do, thank you!
Thank
YOU
for YOUR
continued
SUPPORT
20. IN 1939, ALVIS GRANT BECAME ONE OF THE FIRST boys to live at Boys
Ranch. There, he learned self-discipline, respect and determination.
Little did he know the seeds planted 75 years ago in the dusty hills of the
Texas Panhandle would help guide his choices as he grew to become an
accomplished artist, a military veteran and a beloved father and grandfather.
Just as it did in 1939, Cal Farley’s continues today to instill the values of faith,
integrity and self-confidence. It’s these time-honored ideals, presented in a
safe, nurturing environment, that equip young people to set a new, positive
course for their lives.
Our work
lasts a
lifetime
800-687-3722 www.calfarley.org
artist veteran cal farley’s alumnus
