Five days before his 16th birthday, Alex came to stay at Ellipsis. Problems with authority, lying and stealing were among the list of complaints against him. Alex struggled with the numerous issues in his personal life, including lack of contact with a parent and other conflicts with family.
It would have been easy to label Alex as a “bad kid.” It could have been easy to give up on him. But that’s not what Ellipsis’ staff do.
While living in Ellipsis’ facilities, Alex connected with Jenetta, a staff member who was early in her now nearly 25-year career at Ellipsis. They worked to build back Alex’s trust, address issues with authority figures, and learn how to better communicate and express emotions. Together, Ellipsis helped Alex address behavioral and communication issues with family, allowing them all to heal, reconnect and move forward on a successful path.
“Alex is one of the reasons I continue to work in this field. He came in and instantly showed me what my job and what my role should be.”
Jenetta Hines, program director
Years after he left Ellipsis’ residential facilities, Alex received a letter from Jenetta.
“It is so hard to do this work,” she wrote. “Seeing you grow and become the person you are and how hard you worked to make a life for yourself truly makes me happy. I couldn’t be more proud of you. You are always going to be part of my life and why I continue to work at Ellipsis.”
While Alex and his family may have had their individual struggles, he did not deserve to be written off by those around him as a hopeless case. He deserved the support that helped him go on to lead a fulfilling life. He deserved the chance at a hopeful future.
That’s what Ellipsis’ focus is on — connecting kids and families to hope so they can lead successful futures. We all want to live in a successful society with individuals who make a positive impact on the community. To do that, we must take care of our youth, who will, in turn, create a better community.
“I didn’t know that as a troubled teenager, I could help somebody in an impactful way to keep them going through their daily struggles.”
Alex, former ellipsis youth
Please consider helping Ellipsis as we help give youth who have been through incredible hardships — through no fault of their own — a chance to renew hope, a chance for a successful future. You can mail in a donation or make a gift online at EllipsisIowa.org/get-involved/donate/.