1/12/2015

Stay the Course - Not Just Midway but All the Way




Jim and I are adamant about supporting the Midcourse Correction Challenge Camp in Michigan.  Many that follow my blog or know me personally are aware that I did a great deal of research into their organization.  I wanted to try to determine which program in Michigan my step-son Dan would see as the most reflective of  what he would have wanted for himself and others to help  make it ‘through the rain’, the trials in his life. 

This organization was a clear stand out. Talking to Richard Wood, the Executive Director only put an exclamation point to the decision.  Never have we looked back.  Thus, though little funds have been garnished, to date, for the fund we started in Jim’s son’s name, we are steadfast in our commitment in doing what we can do support and promote this Camp. 

To that end, I want to share a few recent stories to come out of Midcourse I learned of recently, since my last writing on the Camp.  In addition to their Challenge Camps they also have a much more intense Honor Company program attendees can return to.  This is far better explained by visiting their site, listed below. 

This Honor Company program shows just 
how much progress can be made with 
teens after attending the first camp. 
This is not a spa treatment facility.   To willingly come back for a more intense version is a clear indication that these young people recognize it has real value in their life.  It may be a boot camp, but motivation and insight is accomplished.

At a recent Camp, one young man spoke to the Director about how he had been released from drug use finally.  Life begins anew for this young man now, free from the bondage of drug use and put on a new course to live with goals in place.  How can this be accomplished in a weekend camp?  Ask yourself if the cost is too much to pay?  Would you want to help someone live drug free for a small token of change?

Another attendee had returned a few weeks ago and proudly showed how his failing grades from his attendance at the first camp were now all B’s.  He had come, that first time, literally kicking and screaming in a car, restrained.  Now, this same young man is like many others that attend and leave this fine program, forever changed. Attending the Honor Company, he was seen hugging his parents, asking for forgiveness and committed to knowing his steps now are the path to a good direction.   A life is saved, he came screaming at one time and is leaving smiled and invigorated.  In my book, that is a miracle. 

Many know that the leader of the organization, Richard Wood,  has a heart of gold.  His staff is full of good people on a mission. He not only believes in the program, he genuinely cares about the parents and the teens. We feel blessed to know our donations are guided by his hands, by his heart.  We know Dan’s name is saving spirits that might otherwise be diminished like his shortened life was. 

As a couple, we are not financially well off, by any stretch, but with the little we have; we find something to give to this fund several times a year, Dan Bronold Memorial Scholarship Fund.  We quit asking others to give nearly as much because we saw such a lack of response.  If you don’t give to this program, we understand but please find another one you will support. These young misguided teens, if not straightened out, can become tomorrow’s criminals on the street, full of hate.  That anger can be turned inward or outward. They need help, they need direction, and they need a place like Midcourse to put them on the right course. 

And we also pray that when they are misguided they are not put in a jail cell in isolation and left there with nothing to help them sort their thoughts out.  This Camp believes they can prevent those unhappy endings. We believe it too, infact, we are hearing about it often.  Amen.

  For more information, visit their site:  http://www.midcoursecorrection.org/




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