"We cannot thank Circle of Hope (Brother House and Miss Steph) enough for what they have done for not only our daughter but our entire family. When we began our journey with Circle of Hope Girls Ranch we were broken - Crissi was out of control and her behavior was tearing our family apart. Crissi had already been sent to two state run facilities, and served a brief stint in a juvenile delinquency facility (due to behaviors at one of the state facilities).
After our experience with the state programs (from which she picked up even worse behaviors) we decided to enroll her in a private, Christian Academy - designed for troubled youth. Within two weeks we received the dreaded call - they could not handle Crissi. They wanted her to leave immediately. This posed a problem as the school was in Mississippi and we reside in New Hampshire. The school referred me to yet another private school (a smaller one that handled kids with extreme behaviors). I had no choice but to have her transported to that school while we tried to find a permanent solution - a school that really could address her needs. This is how we finally found Circle of Hope. We travelled to Mississippi, picked Crissi up and began the trek to Humansville, MO.
When we arrived at Circle of Hope, Brother Householder came out to greet us. I knew from that moment we had found the right place - God had sent us there for a reason. Crissi refused to get out of the car. Crissi had a horrible attitude, was at least 60 pounds overweight with extremely low self-esteem and on medication for hypothyroidism and pre-diabetes. Brother House took me inside and showed me around, introduced me to several girls as well as his wife, Stephanie. Brother House and Stephanie explained the program to me in depth and the girls I met were extremely polite and well mannered, they really respected the Householders and had genuine smiles on their faces. Brother House proceeded to persuade Crissi to get out of the car and come inside. This was a life changing moment - on November 10, 2009.
Now, over two years later, Crissi is a new person. She has lost weight and is in great shape - no longer taking any medication. She will be graduating soon from the program and we have had several successful on-site as well as home visits. She has accepted Jesus Christ as her lord and Saviour and is determined to be a role model for her siblings. She is ready for her "second chance" to come home and be a productive, loving member of our family. The Householders - Circle of Hope Girls Ranch - along with the grace of God, succeeded where everyone else, including myself, failed. Through their loving, yet firm, hands, they have molded my child into the person she was meant to be - and for this, we will be forever grateful.
God bless the Circle of Hope Girls Ranch and the extraordinary work they do."
Mr. and Mrs. Mark Ducharme