Anna, 16 Sophtmore

When Anna was fourteen years old, her mother left her. “She told me she would be back,” Anna said, “but I lived alone in our apartment for three months.”

Anna received help from friends and at first, she was able to get to school. But the pressure and difficulties of navigating life alone as a fourteen-year-old was too much. She stopped attending school, stopped trying to take care of herself. “I was overwhelmed. Everything was too much to manage.”

Anna’s older sister tried to help as much as she could, but the abusive relationship she was entangled in and the care necessary for her own child proved too much. She couldn’t provide the type of Anna needed. Enmeshed in this awful situation, Anna’s sister turned to a local nonprofit, Escape to Peace for help. It was there that she learned about Eastside Academy and the Renew Homes.

“I had been on my own for three months, and when I started looking at Eastside Academy, Child Protective Services contacted me. They knew I was staying in the apartment alone, that I wasn’t going to school. So, they gave me a choice. I could either enter Foster Care or go to Eastside Academy and live in the Renew Homes,” Anna said. “I chose Eastside Academy, and I’m so glad I did.”

It was a difficult transition into the Renew Homes. “I was really distrusting of adults,” she said. “I was angry, and fought a lot. But living there has helped me understand that not all adults are threatening. The house parents, Andy and Raunwyn treat us like their kids. This was new for me.” Growing up Anna said she didn’t have parents who acted like parents. “They bullied and shamed me. But Andy and Raunwyn, they’ve shown me what a caring, parent can look like. They’ve helped me feel good about myself; to know that I am not wrong or bad. They see the best in me and help me see that in myself. The Renew Homes have encouraged me, helped me feel accepted, and loved. I feel safe now, and I know that I’m not alone anymore. For the first time I feel safe and secure”

Anna has shown a tremendous amount of growth in her time here at Eastside Academy. Drew Hale our Director of Student Services observed, “Anna has shown a new, deeper level of commitment in these past couple of months. I’m really proud of how she has engaged in our program and the work here. She’s doing a really great job” But she’s grown in other ways as well. Jeff Britcher, Director of Education, said “Anna brings a joyful and exuberant attitude to our school. It certainly helps lift the spirits of our staff and the entire student body.” But perhaps the greatest amount of change was observed by Kristen Wong, Director of Counseling, “When Anna first started here, she was very shy and timid. However, I’ve seen her so empowered now. She’s really taking control of her life and ‘owning who she is as a person.”

Anna is different today than she was yesterday, and the story she embodies is a story of growth and change. It is through your generosity and your support that stories of change like Anna’s are made possible. “I have grown in so many ways at Eastside Academy. I know that if I hadn’t come here I’d either be in foster care or on the streets. Eastside Academy and the Renew Homes have changed my life”

Thank you for making it possible for change to happen here.