WorldWide Drilling Resource

65 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® SEPTEMBER 2014 Over 2 Million Lives Made Better with Boys Town Adapted from Information by Boys Town Right now, in your very own neigh- borhood, there is a child living in fear, a family struggling with addiction or abuse. Wherever these children and families are, Boys Town is there to help. Since 1917, with the support of generous donors, they have been reuniting children with their families, finding foster homes for others, and providing a Boys Town family for those with nowhere else to turn. When a family is in crisis, the children suffer the most. That’s why every fami- ly, no matter how deep its troubles are, deserves a chance to be saved. Boys Town’s programs focus on preventive measures to help keep families together so children can stay in their homes when- ever possible. Here are some of the services Boys Town offers: j In-Home Family Services SM sends professionally-trained consult- ants to provide care and support to families in their home. Whether the family is experiencing economic hard- ship, substance abuse, marital issues, family conflicts, or health challenges, family consultants are there to help. j Parenting.org SM is a free online resource providing practical, skill- based materials and information for parents and caregivers of children of all ages. j The Boys Town Na t iona l Hotline SM 800-448-3000 is a free resource and counseling service which assists people 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all year long. The hot- line receives about 150,000 calls a year. j Common Sense Parenting ® pro- vides parents and caregivers with proven techniques to help them build good family relationships, prevent and correct misbehavior, and improve positive behavior. These informative classes are usually presented in the community and at schools. Their Web site features several suc- cess stories including Rachel’s and Jane’s story: Jane’s responsibilities were too much. With three little boys at home, Jane felt she couldn’t adequately provide the care they needed. First, she turned to alcohol and drugs, and eventually attempted suicide to try and escape. The boys were immediately sent to their grandparents and a family consultant became involved. The consultant not only got Jane the support she needed, but also provided parenting skills to both mom and grandma. The family consultant showed the women how to consistently parent the chil- dren, be united in their approaches to limit confusion in the different households, and most importantly, keep the children safe. Jane received mental health treatment, as well as substance abuse treatment, and reframed it back to her being able to care for herself and her children. By actively participating in substance abuse treatment and mental health treatment, Jane achieved 7 months of sobriety and earned a full- time job. Most importantly, her children were able to come home for a trial visit. Jane was mentally stable and she was able to use the Common Sense Parenting ® skills to set clear expectations for her children and issue age-appropriate rewards/consequences. Even with all of Jane’s progress, the family consultant knew she would need a support system to stay sober. The consult- ant helped to build a system of individuals who can identify signs when Jane is strug- gling, and offer support and assistance. Currently, Jane has been sober for over a year, and she continues to work to keep her family together. If it weren’t for Boys Town, Jane would have never believed in herself enough to take on the responsibilities of being a mother. If you know of a family struggling, let them know about Boys Town or tour the Boys Town Web site at www.boystown.org I feel like I had a whole other life before I came here to Boys Town. My siblings and I lived with my mother who suffered from severe mental illness. She hallucinated and would beat us all the time, even as we slept. My mother ignored the babies, so as the oldest girl, I quickly became a mom to them even though I was only a child myself. My mother was illegally married to many men at the same time. She would never divorce before getting married again. Her third husband began to molest me when I was three. Even though my mother walked in and caught him, she still stayed with him. She believed we were competing for his affection. When they broke up, she moved us around a lot. Never having a place to go, she’d just up and relocate us... stealing along the way for food or rides. We were mostly homeless and starving. We lived in a couple of homeless shelters and in the homes of strangers. She knew as a mother of five children with her, she could play on the compassion of others. Moving into people’s homes and using them for money and food. It didn’t take long for folks to catch on and throw us out. Eventually, we ended up living in a tiny apartment. There was no electricity or gas. We ate at school and we would sneak into motel pools to cool off or wash up. I was so ashamed. She started leaving us alone at night. Short periods turned into longer periods. We barely ever saw her. Then summer came. We weren’t getting free food anymore at school, and we were starving. Out of desperation, I looked in my mom’s purse and found a roll of hundred dollar bills. I took the money and ran to buy food. Not long after that, my mom left and just never came back. We became a ward of the state, and Boys Town took us in. Boys Town rescued me along with my siblings. I still can’t believe it’s real. At first, I thought my family teachers were putting on an act, that they would be different behind closed doors. That’s all I had ever known. But they are truly wonderful people who show me what a real family is like. I thank God for watching over us and leading us to Boys Town. Rachel This public service announcement is brought to you by WorldWide Drilling Resource, Inc.