Before coming to Broyhill Home in Clyde, Sam* was not a stand-out in school. In fact, he was more comfortable in the shadows, away from the taunting.
Life at home didn’t foster success. He spent hours playing video games. He shut himself off from others. He held in his feelings.
It all turned around when he and his brother Stevie* began living at Broyhill in March 2016. The clothes that carried the stench of their past were thrown out. They sat with their cottage parents and the other boys around a dinner table for meals. Being clean and eating good, nutritional food benefited the boys. They began to feel better and enjoy life more.
During Sam’s first month in care, he hardly spoke and never looked anyone in the eyes. But he received the new things he was given – clothes, a clean room, books, and shoes – with a soft spoken “thank you.” He was in awe of his new life.
Back in school with much of his past behind him, he dove into his school work with fervor.
In a short time, he had reached the milestone of being a member of his middle school’s “Million Word Club.” The achievement in the accelerated reading program drew attention of teachers and Broyhill staff members. Their encouragement boosted Sam’s self-esteem.
In the fall of this school year, now a freshman in high school, Sam took his math end-of-course exam – and then forgot about it.
When his score came back, he had done very well. He had achieved the highest level of “5” with a total score of 266. Comparatively, he scored in the upper 5% of those taking the test. He surpassed the average scores of those in his school, district and in North Carolina.
Going from low self-esteem to where he is today is an even bigger accomplishment. He smiles, looks people in the eyes and helps around his cottage. And he was selected to participate in his school’s elite, honor choir.
Sam recently accepted Christ into his heart. He is inquisitive during cottage devotions and, when given the opportunity, he shares his testimony.
He dreams of a good life and has set his gaze on attending Gardner-Webb University in a few years.
You can give other children like Sam and Stevie the opportunity to thrive by making an online donation today at www.bchfamily.org/givenow.
*The names of Sam and Stevie have been changed because of the sensitive nature of their circumstances.