Red River Academy
Appreciation Letters
I knew my teen-aged daughter wasn’t “broken.”
She
didn’t need to be “torn down and rebuilt” in boot camp as some friends
and family suggested. But she had fallen into a pattern of destructive
attitudes and choices.
I
did my best to help her. I tried everything I could but nothing worked.
And the deeper my daughter got into her unhealthy life, the more our
family’s life disintegrated until we had no life at all. I knew I had
to try something else. I wasn’t about to give up on my daughter.
Enrolling
my daughter in this program was both the most difficult and best
decision I’ve ever made. Aside from financial considerations, placing
my daughter in the hands of strangers miles away from me didn’t feel
natural. But I soon came to know the staff at Red River Academy as
family and their hands became an extension of mine.
At
Red River Academy my daughter worked daily on stripping away the
destructive image she’d created for herself so that the smart, kind and
funny person she is could shine through again. She also worked on
accepting consequences for her actions and learning to make better
decision to shape the outcome. And as her sense of self-worth and
confidence grew, she became such a profound leader that she even
surprised herself.
But
none of this came easily. She really had to work on herself. And in
this program, parents are encouraged to work their own program of
self-exploration and growth to coincide with their child’s. This wasn’t
easy either, but I feel more capable as a parent than I ever have.
For
my daughter and family, Red River Academy was essential to enabling us
to reconnect and get on with our lives as a healthy, loving, happy
family. And I encourage other struggling families to consider this
school and it’s program as well.
Patricia Rodriguez, Oxnard, California
__________________________________
“One of
life’s most distressing experiences is being separated from the things
and people we love. It is often difficult to leave memories, and it is
always hard to say goodbye to loved ones when we must leave them.”
It
became evident to our family that something had to be done. Life was
no longer pleasant in our household. We were at odds all the time.
Our son’s grades were sky rocketing downward. His school involvement
stopped. He had experimented with drugs and alcohol. He was making
poor choices. As parents, my wife and I were lost. We were at our
wits end and had no idea where to turn.
When
Red River Academy opened up last spring, our son was asked to transfer
there. When we got the call that he was asked to transfer, we were all
thrilled. People were asking him to take a leadership role.
Upper
level students were needed. They could help the new staff become
indoctrinated to the program and when new enrollees come, upper level
students become “big brothers” for five days to help. This is when our
son’s program really took off. He was gaining a great deal more than
just his high school diploma. He was gaining a great deal of
interpersonal relationships with the students and more so, the staff... Red River Academy put
in all the finishing touches for our son. My wife and I thank God
every day for our son’s experience at ...Red River.
Linda and Andy Balser, Greenwood, Indiana
