​​It would have been easy for David to fall through the cracks.

After all, life seemed to be stacked against him right from the beginning.

Born to drug-addicted parents, David was just a baby when he first entered the foster care system. Sadly, his father died of an overdose and his mother was killed in a car accident when David was 12, and he became a ward of the state. The goal then was to find a permanent, loving adoptive home for the boy. But all of the uncertainty and instability in David's life had taken a terrible toll; to cope, he developed aggressive behaviors that pushed people away and threatened to undermine any attempts to secure a forever family.

David was in a local group home when Boys Town South Florida connected with him. He was receiving therapy and medication management, but staff members at the group home needed help getting David back on track. To complicate matters, the youngster was on probation in the juvenile justice system and was performing at only a second-grade level academically. 

A Consultant from Boys Town's Care Coordination Services^® began meeting with David and started to build a relationship. The Consultant talked with him about his goals and pointed out his strengths. In addition to ensuring David was making progress in his therapy sessions, she connected the youngster with a tutor, arranged for him to join a local soccer club and drove him to an animal shelter where he could complete the community service hours required by his probation. The tutor discovered David's struggles were primarily with reading, and that he tended to lash out when frustrated. An assessment revealed David had dyslexia; that diagnosis was a major breakthrough and led to the use of appropriate educational tools that helped David finally experience progress in his studies.

It was a first step toward a full-fledged turnaround. 

As the Boys Town Consultant continued to help David learn better coping skills, he began to understand it was okay to be frustrated as long as he asked for help instead of acting out. They also practiced appropriate responses David could use in different conflict scenarios. One day, another youth was teasing David. Everyone, including David, was surprised when he was able to calmly walk away. For the first time, David felt in control of himself, his emotions and his future.

Today, David is working at his grade level in school, has completed his probation and is becoming the star of his soccer team. His behavior has improved tremendously, and he hasn't displayed any aggressive behaviors for several months.

Most importantly, David has been adopted by a family that understands what he has been through, what he's overcome and what he still needs to do in order to move forward.  It's a brand new home and a brand new life, and David finally can see his brand new future.

The stories provided about the children and families in our care are real. In some cases, names may be changed and details altered to protect their privacy and therapeutic interests.​