Red River Academy
Appreciation Letters
I knew my teen-aged daughter wasn’t “broken.”
Shedidn’t need to be “torn down and rebuilt” in boot camp as some friendsand family suggested. But she had fallen into a pattern of destructiveattitudes and choices.
Idid my best to help her. I tried everything I could but nothing worked.And the deeper my daughter got into her unhealthy life, the more ourfamily’s life disintegrated until we had no life at all. I knew I hadto try something else. I wasn’t about to give up on my daughter.
Enrollingmy daughter in this program was both the most difficult and bestdecision I’ve ever made. Aside from financial considerations, placingmy daughter in the hands of strangers miles away from me didn’t feelnatural. But I soon came to know the staff at Red River Academy asfamily and their hands became an extension of mine.
AtRed River Academy my daughter worked daily on stripping away thedestructive image she’d created for herself so that the smart, kind andfunny person she is could shine through again. She also worked onaccepting consequences for her actions and learning to make betterdecision to shape the outcome. And as her sense of self-worth andconfidence grew, she became such a profound leader that she evensurprised herself.
Butnone of this came easily. She really had to work on herself. And inthis program, parents are encouraged to work their own program ofself-exploration and growth to coincide with their child’s. This wasn’teasy either, but I feel more capable as a parent than I ever have.
Formy daughter and family, Red River Academy was essential to enabling usto reconnect and get on with our lives as a healthy, loving, happyfamily. And I encourage other struggling families to consider thisschool and it’s program as well.
Patricia Rodriguez, Oxnard, California
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“One oflife’s most distressing experiences is being separated from the thingsand people we love. It is often difficult to leave memories, and it isalways hard to say goodbye to loved ones when we must leave them.”
Itbecame evident to our family that something had to be done. Life wasno longer pleasant in our household. We were at odds all the time. Our son’s grades were sky rocketing downward. His school involvementstopped. He had experimented with drugs and alcohol. He was makingpoor choices. As parents, my wife and I were lost. We were at ourwits end and had no idea where to turn.
WhenRed River Academy opened up last spring, our son was asked to transferthere. When we got the call that he was asked to transfer, we were allthrilled. People were asking him to take a leadership role.
Upperlevel students were needed. They could help the new staff becomeindoctrinated to the program and when new enrollees come, upper levelstudents become “big brothers” for five days to help. This is when ourson’s program really took off. He was gaining a great deal more thanjust his high school diploma. He was gaining a great deal ofinterpersonal relationships with the students and more so, the staff... Red River Academy putin all the finishing touches for our son. My wife and I thank Godevery day for our son’s experience at ...Red River.
Linda and Andy Balser, Greenwood, Indiana
