Alumni Before and After Stories

Robbie

Robbie’s breakfast, lunch and dinner were drugs, alcohol and parties. His dad was an alcoholic—and not a nice drunk either. School was impossible for Robbie; dropping out and going truant was easy. And he was no stranger to the courts. By the grace of God and the generosity of people like you, Robbie found his way to TreeHouse, and TreeHouse helped Robbie find new life.

He went from dropout to undergraduate; druggie to volunteer in a home for special-needs adults; a follower of the worst crowd to a leader and teacher in TreeHouse alumni groups. From a taker to a giver, because he believes God calls him to that.

Ria

You would like Ria immediately. A fantastic mom, married to the devoted father of her child. She is a leader who volunteers with TreeHouse and teaches important lessons to hurting teens. She is a student herself, pursuing her dream job of a medical assistant.

But she didn’t start that way. She cut herself. Got pregnant as a teen. Was quiet and removed. Just another kid of an alcoholic father. She came to TreeHouse broken, and now she’s helping teens that were just like her.

Mark

When you have a drug habit to the tune of $250 a day, you’ve got big problems—and addiction and delusion are only two of them. You need money, but can’t keep a job, so you steal. Even if you don’t get caught and serve time, you’re a wreck waiting to happen. But different forces were at work in Mark’s life, just as they’ve been for so many others.

Some caring folks gave money to TreeHouse. The money supported TreeHouse’s Youth Outreach Specialists to do their amazing work, and Mark was one of the fortunate beneficiaries. Today, Mark has a master’s degree. Better yet, he’s a senior pastor at a church. When hurting youth come up to him for help he knows exactly where they are coming from.