Youth home provides help in many ways
I am contacting you about a photo that was in the SV Weekend on Oct. 20 regarding some of the kids at Mooseheart. It was a photo that was probably submitted by the Dixon Moose Lodge. The child that Dixon Moose is sponsoring is my son, Benjamin.
I just want to say that Mooseheart is more than a place for kids to go other than for parents who can’t care for their children. There can be several different reasons a child is at Mooseheart.
For Ben, it was so he could focus on his grades; he was failing every class, and we had tried everything to get him to focus and take pride in his school work. Nothing was working, and as a parent, I had to do something to ensure that Ben would finish high school.
Ben was not in any trouble here at home; he had the typical teenage behavior, but never any trouble at school or with the law.
Benjamin is doing very well at Mooseheart; he is passing all of his classes; he is involved in sports, and they also have a Junior ROTC program that he enjoys. He is thriving in the smaller classrooms because of the extra help he is able to receive.
There is a website that gives more information regarding Mooseheart that may be helpful. I just don’t like the public seeing Mooseheart as an orphanage or a place for “bad kids.” There are different circumstances for each child.
It was the hardest decision of my life to send him there, but I had to do what was best for Benjamin. His education is a very big priority for me. The website is www.mooseheart.org.
