Our Success Stor ies ser ies was created asa way to communicate with our fr iendsand donors in an effic ient, inexpensiveformat. Each month, we feature one ofour programs and the inspir ing stor y of achi ld whom the program has helped. To beadded to the Success Stor ies email l ist ,just send your complete e-mail address tosuccessstor ies@eliada.org.

From the beginning, Kayla distinguished

herself at Eliada as a bright, sensitive stu-

dent with deep self-respect, even when

dealing with obstacles. Upon leaving

Eliada for public school in 2003, her goals

included college and becoming a social

worker – to help others benefit from her

experience and understanding. Kayla’s

determination and intelligence at

Asheville High School helped her earn a

scholarship to Asheville Buncombe

Technical Community College. Now,

transferring to UNC-Charlotte with

scholarship assistance from Eliada, Kayla

begins an exciting new phase of life.

She began her university career open to

new experiences and to new people: dur-

ing the first week of classes, she and her

three roommates kept an open door pol-

icy, inviting people in to get to know oth-

ers in the dorm. She dove into college

activities and has already been recog-

nized for her leadership qualities, earning

tickets to movies and theme parks.

Kayla’s enthusiasm for campus life shows

also in her favorite class – Freshman

Seminar – a kind of orientation course

guiding young students in their early

experiences with campus involvement.

Eliada has much to do with Kayla’s posi-

tive, open attitude to college. “Eliada

taught me to work on my goals, to stay

focused,” she says. The first person in her

family to attend college, Kayla plans to

see her goals through to completion. She

says, “I’m interested in social work, but

would now like to major in education

and be a kindergarten teacher – I

absolutely love working with kids!”

Congratulations on all your success,

K a y l a !

Eliada is

proud of

you and all

y o u r

a c c o m -

p l i s h -

ments.

Kayla, November 2005

S U C C E S SS T O R I E S

Our Success Stories series was created as a wayto communicate with our friends and donors in anefficient, inexpensive format. Each month, we fea-ture one of our programs and the inspiring storyof a child whom the program has helped. To beadded to the Success Stories email list, send youremail address to successstories@eliada.org.

Ben and his family came to Eliada’s Family

Partnership Program (FPP) a year ago. The

then 13 year old had become violent, could-

n’t get along with his mother, and increasing-

ly withdrew to his room in deep depression.

This withdrawal became so serious that

Ben’s mother would take meals to his room,

trying to ensure he would eat. When not

alone, Ben lost himself in video games and

would sometimes leave home without per-

mission; his disrespectful treatment of his

mother worsened, and his family grew more

concerned with each passing day.

Once established with his FPP worker, Ben

slowly began to change. He laughs and says of

his worker, “He wouldn’t leave me alone until

I would talk. Then I started to trust him and

realized this helped.” His new outlook

prompted Ben to join in church activities

that he had previously ignored; now he

enjoys being a member of the youth group

and spending time with friends.

Ben’s success means that his involvement

with FPP ends in mid-January. He will miss his

worker and hopes they stay in touch. He now

loves to ride BMX bikes; in fact, his talent at

stunt riding has earned him trophies. He is a

gifted photographer and writer of short sto-

ries, now working on a novel.

Ben’s mother believes that FPP has helped

her son to control his anger and frustration.

Program workers provided invaluable sup-

port in the beginning when she needed

immediate help, and later when she needed

encouragement, examples of role modeling,

and help with setting limits and expectations

for Ben’s behavior. She feels that FPP’s pres-

ence in their home made the crucial differ-

ence: in her words, FPP staff “helped make

our home a better place.”

Ben, December 2005

S U C C E S SS T O R I E S

Our Success Stor ies ser ies was created asa way to communicate with our fr iendsand donors in an effic ient, inexpensiveformat. Each month, we feature one ofour programs and the inspir ing stor y of achi ld whom the program has helped. To beadded to the Success Stor ies email l ist ,just send your complete e-mail address tosuccessstor ies@eliada.org.

Alex “Lex” Brenner is a bright 15 year-old:

open, with a quiet self-confidence. When he

first arrived at Eliada about a year ago, he

was, in his own words, “pale and strung

out.” He cared only about drugs, argued

with everyone, and wouldn’t listen when

people tried to point out his strengths. The

drugs made Lex unable to focus in school

or on any thoughts of the future.

A few things happened to improve life for

Lex: he got off drugs and re-discovered his

love of sports and physical activity.

Forgotten under the influence of those

drugs, Lex’s talent for sports came back to

him first through rugby. One staff member

in particular, a rugby player himself, took

Lex to local games and taught him about

the sport. He’d love to play on a team in

Chapel Hill, where he’ll be returning home

in August. Then, Eliada’s mini-bike program,

NYPUM (National Youth Project Using

Mini-Bikes) entered Lex’s life. NYPUM, a

national program, teaches participants to

ride and maintain mini-bikes. Lex enjoys

the freedom of riding, the way it “gives you

time to think about yourself and your life.”

His experience with cycle maintenance has

inspired him to pursue work in this field at

home.

Above all, Lex looks forward to his new life

in Chapel Hill. Once off the drugs, his aca-

demic performance at Eliada improved, giv-

ing him the freedom to pursue subjects he

now loves. He’ll be starting school again in

August, and talks

excitedly about his

elective classes in

technical theatre.

Lex is now able to

say, “I can’t wait for

public school.”

S U C C E S SS T O R I E S

Our Success Stor ies ser ies was created asa way to communicate with our fr iendsand donors in an effic ient, inexpensiveformat. Each month, we feature one ofour programs and the inspir ing stor y of achi ld whom the program has helped. To beadded to the Success Stor ies email l ist ,just send your complete e-mail address tosuccessstor ies@eliada.org.

A special young boy named Brandon

came to Eliada’s summer camp this

year and shared a lesson of courage

and strength.

In his seven years of life, Brandon has

gone through more adversity than

most people endure in a lifetime. In

2000, during an accidental fire,

Brandon sustained third degree burns

over 90% of his body. He underwent

dozens of plastic surgeries and spent

weeks in a burn center. Though he

must deal with the physical scars, his

enthusiasm for life and willingness to

try new things remain undaunted.

Brandon had never experienced sum-

mer camp before; with his parents’

help, he decided that Eliada’s Summer

Adventure Camp would be a great

choice. Eliada provides a unique sum-

mer camp program for over 100 chil-

dren every year ; activities include

swimming, hiking, horseback riding,

and adventure trips. The experience is

a great way for children to develop

friendships and self-confidence.

With a big smile, Brandon started his

first day of camp with excitement and

some nervousness. This was a summer

of firsts for him: he rode a horse for

the first time, visited his first aquari-

um, and sharpened his swimming

skills. Most importantly, Brandon had

the chance to make new friends and

build confidence. Brandon’s story is an

example of how your support of

Eliada’s mission – Helping Children

Succeed – is realized whenever chil-

dren discover their strengths and gifts.

Brandon,October 2005

S U C C E S SS T O R I E S