Turn Around Recognition Breakfast Held
One by one, 13 teenagers stood and told their heart-wrenching stories.
One girl described how her drug-addicted parents were always fighting and told her she was an "inconvenience." Money went to drugs instead of food and clothing for her and her sister.
Another young woman said her father once locked her in her room for a week; she didn't get to eat or have access to the bathroom. Later, diagnosed with depression and anxiety and in and out of mental hospitals, she tried to kill herself.
One young man told of how he hung out with the wrong crowd, partying and drinking. When he tried to join the Army, criminal charges caught up with him.
These were just three in a medley of tales shared by students who had overcome challenges and moved on to successful second acts. They were honored recently at a Turn Around Recognition breakfast held by Elizabethtown Area Communities That Care (EACTC), a nonprofit organization that works to improve the lives of children, youths and families in the Elizabethtown area.
Fifty-six students in middle school and high school were nominated, and 35 attended the May 21 breakfast, which took place at Elizabethtown College. The event, held since 2000, recognizes youths who have made significant improvements in their attitudes, grades and behaviors; recommending them were Elizabethtown Area School District staff. The students received certificates and gift bags.
"Some of you have been through incredible challenges," Gail Viscome, EACTC executive director, told those assembled. "But somehow, you have drawn the positive attention of your teachers, your counselors, your administrators."
The school district's superintendent, Michele Balliet, also addressed the attendees. "Some of the things that all of you have overcome are things that most adults in their entire lifetime don't have to deal with," she said.
Balliet said she was proud of these students who "have resilience, passion (and) persistence (in) seeking out great role models, great support systems."
Viscome added, "We as a community want to tell you that we care, and we really want to celebrate your lives and what you've done."
The guest speaker, Leo Silva, associate director of the Attollo college access/leadership program, spoke to the students about the difficulties he experienced after leaving the Dominican Republic as a youngster and relocating to Lancaster.
The nominated students who shared their stories talked about how they withstood personal trials to see success in and out of school, while realizing that people do care.
The one girl, who is now living with her grandparents, reported that in addition to attending school, she is also working and has a learner's permit for driving. She's also been clean from drugs for nearly a year.
"No matter what anyone says about you, you are not an inconvenience," she told her fellow students. "You are worth it. You are worth being alive."
The other young woman got caught up in her schoolwork and managed to graduate; she also volunteered with students with multiple disabilities. She said that she plans to become a certified nursing assistant and work with dementia patients.
Following her suicide attempt, she realized she had to change her life. "I realized I had struggles in the past and I had people who had hurt me, but the person who is always going to be there with you and always to be the one supporting you is going to be yourself, and you have to be strong to just keep pushing on," she said.
The young man also graduated, as an Elizabethtown student from Lancaster County Academy, and he is looking toward Army basic training.
"You need to work hard no matter what," he said. "Life isn't always down; life is down for short periods of time. Only you can control how you rise up."
EACTC board member Jonathan Woodall, lead minister at GracePointe Church of Christ, Elizabethtown, asked the students to raise their hands if they could identify with the stories shared. Their hands went up.
"That's the power of story," he said. "The power of story is, you're not alone in what you've been through, ever."
The following middle school students were nominated for Turn Around Recognition: Timothy Aungst, Shawn Bachart, Christian Barnes, Shayana Buisson, Caleb Burgos-Torres, Aaron Bush, Karizma Castillo, Logan Cicero, Brianna Claar, Hunter Ferris, Paige Geiman, Alyson Gotshall, Zoey Gutierrez, Madison Harry, Shelby Hodges, Scarlette Ineich, Nicki Lathrop, Daisy Neefe, Sydney Pawling, Daquan Quickel, Landon Roark-Weymer, Gracin Smith, Isabella Stahl, Calla Stoltzfus, Michaela Taylor, Matthew Zink and Gabriella Zook.
The following high school students were nominated: Ivan Albert, Rylee Bowser, Olivia Buller, Riley Bryan, Rebekah Burkett, Gabriel Cooper, Jonathan Dickerson, Katie Dugan, Tony Eckinger, Ian Franks, Julia Garris, McGwire Halter, Gerald Huber, Elvin Irizarry, Hunter King, Zackery Kolsovsky, Megan McKee, Amador Montano, Reese Montgomery, Kyle Nutter, Nicholas Port, Taylor Reigle, Stephany Rogers, Bryann Stefani, Wyatt Templin, Vivian Ulsh, Camir Velez Vargas, Britni Wagner and Jaiden Young.
For more information on the EACTC, readers may visit http://www.eactc.org.
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