TESTIMONIALS

Hi, my name is John. West Ridge Academy changed my life. The life altering skills I gained while at West Ridge gave me the confidence to succeed in all aspects of my life. I was able to graduate from Brighton High School, attend an LDS Spanish speaking mission in Houston, Texas. I then graduated from the University of Utah in Economics & Communications, started my own business, Pinnacle Sign’s & Graphics. Since 2002, I’ve been doing real estate, where my partner and I rank in the Top 10 agents in the Salt Lake Valley. I also currently own a science education company called “Loose in the Lab.” I am an avid outdoorsman and have climbed all of the major peaks in the European Alps. I also am an extreme snow skier, water skier, rock climber and mountain biker. Anything for a thrill. Most important, I recently got engaged to a spectacular woman who is perfect!!

Hi, my name is Jane and I am 13 years old. I have been at West Ridge Academy for 14 months. It has been a lot of work and there have been a lot of things I have had to overcome and change, but I have and I was able to graduate and return home permanently in April. My parents sent me to West Ridge because I was not dealing with my mother’s death or her physical abuse towards me. My dad remarried and I hated my stepmom and didn’t want her in my life. I didn’t want my mother replaced by someone else and I didn’t want to share her with my dad. I wanted all of his attention and I felt we were better off without her. I was very angry and disobedient. Over the past 14 months, I have learned to grieve for my mother, take responsibility and develop a good relationship with my stepmom and other family members. I am happy and love who I am. I have a future to look forward to that is bright and full of life.

Hello, my name is John and I am 18 years old. I have been at West Ridge Academy since February 2007. When I came to West Ridge, I was having problems with my parents, I was involved in the legal system and I was failing school due to my poor choices combined with many learning disabilities. In addition to these challenges, I am also diagnosed with Reactive Attachment. Since I have been at West Ridge, I have had great changes in my behavior. I am a much better student and will be graduating from high school in June. I’ve played high school sports and made the all state teams in both baseball and soccer. I am planning to go to college and get a degree in marine biology. I have grown in understanding why I react to situations and I’m doing better at communicating with my parents. Our relationship is improving as I make good choices, problem solve and choose good friends. I can now see a future for myself that is successful and I am happy.

John is a 13 year old from Chattanooga who enjoys studying things in detail, up close and personal. Before coming to West Ridge, he was refusing to do school work, would not accept adult requests and was very tenacious with his abilities to argue and debate.He has great difficulty keeping his mind from wondering if the task is slow, demanding, uninteresting or just not his idea of fun. At West Ridge, he is learning that he can succeed by not lying, manipulating and exploding to get his way. He has been managing his emotions, cooperating with adult requests, completing school work on time, helping with the chores in his home and demonstrating kindness to others. He has asked his parents to continue providing consequences when he returns home so that he can know they care and so that “I will stay moving forward”. He states that he would especially appreciate them having him “do pushups” as he feels “stronger than ever and wants to keep fit.”

I’m Jane and I’m twenty years old. I was the first girl to graduate from West Ridge Academy. My parents placed me in the program after years of outpatient counseling. My life was out of control and the choices I was making affected everyone around me. While at West Ridge I learned a lot about myself. I learned that I can do anything I set my mind to. Before West Ridge, I had no confidence in myself at all. I had low self esteem which stemmed from making bad choices. I feel like I’ve gained confidence in myself and most importantly I’ve gained my family’s trust back and have a much better relationship with them. I’m grateful that I was able to come here and feel like I’ve been given a second chance in life. I’m currently working cleaning houses and hope to start my own business soon. I’m also planning on attending college this fall and getting a business degree.

Hi, my name is John and I attended West Ridge Academy from 1995 to June 2000. Prior to coming to West Ridge, I suffered from several years of abuse and neglect as a young child, including being burned. I still wear the burn scars on my chest from the abuse. I also suffered from an eating disorder and had little success in school. West Ridge contributed to the transformation in my life. I was able to succeed in school with the smaller class sizes and with the teachers who were able to get through to a youth with a variety of problems. I am able to function in society because the staff never gave up on me. The home parents and living with a foster family taught me how to accept love and allow myself to be loved. My life prior to West Ridge lacked this important piece of the puzzle. I served an LDS mission in Provo, Utah and I am currently living in Provo attending UVU. I sing in several choirs and volunteer to serve the disabled.

Hi, my name is John . I came to West Ridge from a program in Michigan. I felt very frightened at that program, had little hope and was very depressed. My mom was in jail somewhere and my dad wanted nothing to do with me since his recent marriage. I was all alone and very down on myself. An LDS family from the area saw my struggles and sent me to West Ridge Academy. Since then, my life has turned around in so many ways. I have graduated from high school, earned my Eagle Scout Award, turned my thoughts from negative to positive, worked and saved over $3000. I am currently learning to drive and have recently joined the Army Reserves and will be training to be a dental assistant with a $20,000 signing bonus. Next year when I turn 19, I will be going on an LDS mission. I appreciate West Ridge for the guidance and support they have given me.

Parent Testimonials


From Mischief to Mission

Thursday, April 18, 2002

We adopted Matthew when he was 8 years old. Needless to say he came with a lot of baggage from past experiences. We could tell at once that it was going to be a difficult life with him. He caused a lot of problems in school, church, in the neighborhood, and in our home. We finally reached the point that we honestly wanted to overturn the adoption.

He was subsequently placed in several foster homes where the problems continued and in most cases escalated. Matt was finally placed in West Ridge Academy. There seemed little hope for a boy with so much anger and resentment inside. We as his family had very little to do with him at this point but there was always some association because we had also adopted his older sister.

Because of true commitment and refusal on the part of the people at West Ridge Academy to give up on him, he learned life's most valuable lessons.

One day he called and asked if he could come back into our family. We met with Matt and his case worker, Matt said that he had been in just about every kind of trouble one could imagine. One day he said to himself that his whole life he had tried things his own way and they didn't seem to be working. He wasn't happy and he had no family, he really had no life. What would happen if he tried doing things the Lord's way and was obedient? He said that was the beginning of a whole life change for him.

He was brought back into our family and eventually he came home to live. The Boys Ranch helped us make the adjustment. We are a unified family now and as of this writing he is serving a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and will be home in a few months. We have gotten several letters and phone calls from the mission president and mom stating that he is a wonderful missionary and a delight to work with and have around.

There are no words to express the gratitude we feel as a family for the help he received at West Ridge Academy. It gives all new meaning to the words: "never give up on them, there is always hope". If it worked for Matt, it can work for anyone.

Sincerely,
Joseph and Jan Carbone

Back to top

---

15 and self-destructing

Three years ago my husband and I stood by helplessly and watched as our 15-year-old son began to self destruct. Defiant, failing school, self-indulgent, an attitude of entitlement, easily enraged, disrespectful, anger and rage, destruction of property; all are words I used in my journal to describe my son's behavior. I began to worry about the safety of my little daughter and me when we were left alone with our son. My husband and I began to feel like failures as parents.

Appearances would suggest that we were a highly functioning and very traditional family. We are highly educated and motivated. We are very active in our religious faith, and consider our moral values to be very high. I was a full-time mother, and was very active in the lives of our children. But within the walls of our home, turmoil took its ugly toll.

Our first clue that trouble had begun was during a routine check-up with the Pediatrician before our son began preschool. The doctor asked, "Is he normally this active?" After struggling through three preschools and difficulty even in Kindergarten, our son was diagnosed with severe ADHD and put on medication. We went through several years of individual and family therapy, but nothing seemed to help.

The behavior escalated until it became abusive to everyone in our family. We needed help, but didn't know where to turn. Residential treatment was suggested, but there were several criteria it needed to meet. We wanted a safe environment for our son that would provide a home-like atmosphere. We sought for a program that taught values and principles similar to our beliefs, and one that would provide training for us as a family so we could continue on the road to health and recovery when our son eventually returned home.

West Ridge Academy was the perfect answer to our needs. The day we toured the facility, we felt a special spirit and there was a definite sense of peace and safety. The Clinicians were highly trained and very capable. The boy's homes were clean and organized. The home parents were dedicated, friendly and supportive as we watched them interact with the boys.

Once we placed our son there, we met regularly with our son's clinician, and were counseled in new ways to function and help our son use his new skills learned from their inspired program designed to help the boys change from within. This inner change helps the change remain permanent, and gives new hope to both the boys and their families. West Ridge Academy gave us our son back. Our son was fostered in a Christian environment that gave him a strong foundation for a successful new life. They didn't create a new person, they helped our son search deep within his soul and find who he really is.

Debi and Kirk Gilmore

Back to top

---

180 Degree Turnaround

As I watched my 14 year old son actions I knew that he was going down the wrong path and one day I would probably see him in sever trouble with the law. He was resentful of anyone who tried to help him, and had already had a minor skirmish with the law and was "sluffing" school. He refused to do school work and left Middle School with a G.P.A. of 1.9.

I felt I had no where to turn for help and I was losing my son. A friend of mine suggested that I just go out and look at the Utah Boys Ranch and see if this program might help my son. I remember walking on the campus and I knew that this is where my son belonged. In the time he has spent at West Ridge Academy my son has made a 180 degree turn. The first change was that he would listen to those in authority, and he cared about what happened to him. His grades have improved to a G.P.A. of 3.5, and he actually wants to go to school. His willingness to try different classes such as German, guitar and sports has been such a change from the "couch potato" he was at home and the rebel at school.

The opportunities that have been offered through the recreation department at West Ridge Academy gave my son the experiences of hiking Kings Peak, Winter Camp, and Escalante, these are thing that I could of never offered him. With each excursion he finds out more about himself and that he CAN DO ANYTHING HE WANTS!

I can never repay West Ridge Academy for all their time and effort to help to become the person that he was always meant to be. I will always be grateful to West Ridge Academy and their unconditional help they have given to my son.

Sincerely,
Carolyn Larsen
Sandy, Utah

Back to top

---

Peaceful Pickup

I just wanted to drop you a note to let you know how grateful I am to you and Brian for the way you conducted yourselves in picking up Rob last Friday. You both had the spirit of the Lord with you and were calm and peaceful and I appreciate what you did.

My girls are back home with me now and we are happy. We miss Rob but are so excited for him to receive the experiences he will have to change his life. Thank you again for all your help.

Robin Robinson

Back to top

---

A Wonderful Difference

Despair, fear, hatred, resentment and disappointment were the emotions in our home the Fall of 2000.

It was more than difficult to realize that we as parents could not break the downward spiral of our 15-year old son. In fact it was so difficult to admit that the first time we bought airline tickets to transport our son to Utah, we canceled five hours before the flight. However, when he was legally detained the day after Christmas, we knew that his rebellion, negativity and absolute "I don't care" attitude were not only hurting himself, our marriage, and our other 3 children, but he was now a danger to others. Some sins, some behaviors, could not be remedied in our home, despite love, eternal truths, and concerted efforts shown. We could not lock down our home to the confinement level he required. So, we had him escorted to West Ridge Academy in January 2001.

Now the good news! Purged of the chains he chose, he is now on a definite upswing. Grades are ticking up. We laugh a lot. Mutual respect is displayed. His younger siblings want to be around him. We like his friends. We trust him--this is a first!

West Ridge Academy taught him how to set aside self-defeating habits, and placed him in an environment without a lot of other worldly distractions and temptations so he could test for himself the reality of divine verities. He could not indulge in the things which weighed him down. As a result he had a chance to taste success based on his more positive behavior. These experiences ultimately allowed him to more appreciate his life, his family, and his future.

He has not returned to his previous actions and friends. It has not been easy; it has not been immediate, and his improvement is still forthcoming. But without the 6-month intervention at West Ridge Academy, well, we just could not have sustained the status quo. Now we have pride, and hope, and laughter in our home--what a remarkable and wonderful difference!

Sincerely,
The Adams Family
Olympia, Washington

Back to top

---