“Dwayne,” age 15, was referred to the All Children Excel (ACE) Program five years ago for sexually assaulting a neighborhood girl. Although just ten years old at the time, Dwayne had already been initiated into a gang and was selling drugs and stealing. He was also struggling at school: failing classes, disobeying directions, and verbally lashing out at his teachers and fellow classmates.

As we began working with Dwayne, we realized that helping him choose a different path would require working with his family where poverty, criminal activity, and substance abuse were the norm. For years, the family had been moving from apartment to apartment and living check to check. Dwayne’s mom bounced from one job to the next due to her habitual drug use. His dad was in prison for armed robbery and his older brother was heavily involved in criminal activity. Consequently, Dwayne lacked accountability, structure, discipline, and positive influences at home.

For Dwayne and his family, the past five years have been filled with many challenges. Slowly but surely they have faced it all and the progress they have made is astounding! At first, we urged Dwayne’s mom to seek help for her addiction before she wound up in jail, lost custody of her kids, or worse. She voluntarily entered treatment, has been off drugs for nearly three years, and continues to attend weekly Narcotics Anonymous support groups. She has found steady, full-time work and has taken a more active role in her sons' lives, attending their school conferences and sporting events.

We got Dwayne involved in therapy and worked closely with his teachers to ensure that he was keeping up academically, controlling his temper, and staying out of trouble. We encouraged Dwayne to participate in after-school sports in order to meet new friends. These activities also helped him learn the value of teamwork and how to deal with adversity. Finding Dwayne a mentor gave him the opportunity to have more frequent positive interactions with adult males.

Since becoming involved with ACE Dwayne has had no further contact with the police or court systems. Both he and his brother have quit dealing drugs and stealing. Dwayne has also stayed out of trouble at school. Currently a ninth grader, he earns mostly “As” and “Bs,” plays junior varsity basketball, and even tutors other kids after school.