Trinity and Misty Mackley have been Family-Teachers at Boys Town North Florida for more than seven years. Throughout their careers, they have continuously gone above and beyond to help the children they serve in the North Florida community. Their helping spirit doesn't stop at the children they serve; they also go out of their way to assist families, additional staff members and even help out around campus as needed.

"The Mackleys are an amazing family who have sacrificed so much to help children in need," Bethany Lacey, Senior Director of Program Operations said.

Trinity is considered the "go-to" person when something goes wrong on campus. You can often find him putting his handy skills to work on a broken AC, repairing a window and supporting emergency maintenance needs for homes across campus. Misty is known as a valuable resource to new Family-Teachers. She is always willing to help out and provide them with guidance when dealing with difficult youth behavior.

The Mackleys also play a huge role in North Florida's annual Carr Allison Smoke-Off. Every year, Trinity grills all night to ensure that all attendees have plenty of delicious slow cooked bar-b-que to eat.

"Trinity stays up all night cooking for our annual BBQ cook-off," Lacey said. "When I say all night, I mean he literally starts cooking the night before and stays up to ensure it cooks properly and safely throughout the night."

In addition to providing a helping hand, the Mackleys also care immensely for the families they serve. Recently, they went out of their way to support a father as he worked to be reunited with his three children. His children were living at Boys Town at the time due to the living conditions at their home. After sitting vacant for a year, the house needed a deep clean and numerous repairs in order for his children to be approved to go home. The Mackleys took a group of boys from campus to help with the cleanup and repairs.

"Trinity used his high energy and labor but also his humor to keep the youth engaged and not to embarrass the family," said Lacey. "This allowed them to keep their dignity during the whole process."

Shortly after helping to make the father's home livable, Misty reached out to a former youth to invite him to their home for Easter dinner. The Mackleys welcomed him into their celebration and he was able to spend the afternoon with his former Family-Teachers and friends. On the drive back to drop the youth off, they stopped at the father's house and brought him a plate of food.

"I love this story because I think it is a beautiful picture of God's love to show the children how their father is being loved, valued, and respected, and supported by their Family-Teachers on his journey to healing," Lacey said. "This not only touched our team here in North Florida, but also the other youth. It was a reminder to them that they will always be part of the Boys Town family even after they age-out or move back home."