Life lessons that influence not one life, but two

June was admitted to Grant Gardens at the age of 15. At that time, she was having a lot of conflicts with her family. She would become physically aggressive with her mother when they argued, and often stayed out all night. June had been diagnosed with depression, and had been hospitalized three times in two years for becoming suicidal. She had pretty much stopped going to school.

June was in Grant Gardens for five months and then was transferred to supervised independent living. She received her GED while at Pressley Ridge and was enrolled in a veterinary assistant program at the time of discharge.

June now lives with her aunt and is the single mother of an 8-month-old son. June had dropped out of school before completing her program, but has been employed regularly for the past year. She enjoys taking her son to the park. June says she is planning to go back to school in the spring. Her aunt said that June is a good mother and that she will be caring for her niece’s baby when June returns to school.

About her time with Pressley Ridge, June believes that it was the staff members who had the biggest impact on her life. “I gave them a hard time, sometimes, but they really wanted to help me get my life back on track. Now that I’m a mom, some of the things they tried to teach me make more sense. I know if I need help, they’ll be there for me.”