Winning at School

For James, getting an education at Miracle Farm meant more than learning to stay upright on a horse. While the ministry has an emphasis on roping, riding and ranch life, some of the most enduring lessons are learned in the classroom.

You can impact the lives of young men like James.

James came to us as a 13-year-old with no desire to go to school. He was about to fail the eighth grade – for the second time! It took a lot of patience from his teacher and his house parents and a lot of hard work by James, but little by little he started to pass his classes.

For the first time in his life, school is no longer torture for James. He’s no longer allowed to say, “It’s too hard,” or to give up as he’d done in the past. As his self-confidence grows, his attitude softens and he becomes the young man he should be. (Read more.)

It’s quite a change for James and other teenage boys who find their way to Miracle Farm, often by way of a meandering educational path. Unmotivated in school, they find it easier to daydream than pay attention. The risk of being left behind in the classroom makes it easier to give up than try to catch up.

That changes the day they arrive in the rolling hills of Washington County. The first day at Miracle Farm, they are introduced to their horse – and to the classroom. A fully accredited charter high school enables James and his friends to get personalized attention in small classes. They learn at their own pace – but with lots of motivation. They find something that was missing in their young lives: success in school. What a blessing it is for you to be able to share in their success.

Your gift to the 2012 Back to School campaign will make a difference in the lives of teenagers like James, as well as other young people throughout the family of Children At Heart Ministries, whether at Miracle Farm, Texas Baptist Children’s Home, Gracewood or STARRY.

Many children in our ministries have missed a lot of school before they came to us. Truancy had become acceptable. Their parents or other caregivers were not active participants in their educations. They were complete strangers to motivation and achievement.

As the new school year approaches, Miracle Farm needs your help to keep the children God has entrusted to our care at the front of their classes, not trailing behind.  With your help, we are changing study habits, improving learning skills, and turning at-risk teenaged boys once earmarked for failure into kids who are primed for success.

Your support of the Children At Heart Ministries 2012 Back to School campaign will benefit children not only at Miracle Farm, but at each of our ministries. Your gifts will help to defray the costs not only of school supplies and school clothes, but also the cost of tutors, special learning opportunities and programs help turn lives around.

Just knowing that you are praying for them and giving them financial support will motivate them to succeed, not just in the classroom, but in life.

On behalf of James, nearly two dozen other students at Miracle Farm, and the hundreds throughout Children At Heart Ministries, won't you visit the 2012 Back to School Donation Page and make your fully tax-deductible gift today?