Relentless Determination

A single mom determined to find a better way of life, Heather moved with her 12-year-old son, Noah, from Chicago to Duluth.

“We had a rough start,” Heather remembered. Noah did not adapt well to the move. Combined with the normal emotional struggles of a growing teen, the situation at home turned volatile.

“He was very angry, irrational. He would leave the house without asking,” said Heather. “I was at my wit’s end.”

Coming to the Ranch allowed Noah to embrace responsibility, learn how to show respect for his mom and to cool down before acting out. Heather also learned how to keep her emotions in check and find growth opportunities for herself.

“Eagle Ranch gave us a lot of room to get things right, to start over as a family. They extended so much grace,” Heather said. “We have all the steps in place we need to go forward.”

Heather tried everything: counseling, finding Noah a mentor through her church, taking him to youth development programs offered in the community. Still, Noah needed more.

Noah agreed. “I missed my family and friends. My mom had so many consequences set up at home that I didn’t want to be there. There was no consistency in anything she sent me to, and nothing was changing.”

Heather’s last resort was looking into having Noah declared an unruly child in court. During the process, she learned about Eagle Ranch.

“I told the judge that I was not there to lock my kid up but to get real help. I prayed about bringing Noah to the Ranch and believe members in the community who knew about the program confirmed my prayer. That was enough for me.”

Noah agrees.

“We’ve learned when we get upset with each other to step away, cool down and then come back and talk about what happened and what we can do next time. Things are more relaxed now. I’ve had a great two and half years at Eagle Ranch. I’ll miss my friends there and a lot of people I now consider family.”