It had been a long, exhausting day serving our Shepherd students. Another hard day trying to get students to care, and then a backhanded comment almost came to blows between two boys. As we sat quietly in the office, I just looked at Chris. He looked angry and tired.

I remember asking him, “Chris, why do you keep getting into fights, shutting down, and just giving up? You are so capable and smart. There’s so much in that head of yours, but you’re wasting it. What do you want out of life?” His response broke me:

“I want to make something of my life. All the men around me, they either end up on the streets, in jail, or dead. I don’t want that for my life. I wanna be the first one in my family to graduate. I wanna go to college. I wanna be a father. I wanna be a man. But, I ain’t seen that. I ain’t seen my daddy in years. My momma don’t want me around. I just gotta trust me if I want to survive.”

Our middle and high school students want—and deserve—more. As one mentor shared, “They’re just bigger versions of our elementary kids. They have soft hearts that have been wounded time and again. They’ve just never had someone in their corner telling them they’re worth it and to keep going.”

At Shepherd, we are that someone.

For the last 40 years, we have walked alongside our teens with mentorship, care, and belief in their potential. We help them discover their passions, explore future paths, and access real opportunities—college visits, applications, training, job interviews, and more.

In every season, we show up—for the games, performances, graduations, FAFSA forms, and every moment in between. We are their cheerleaders, their safe place, their support system. At Shepherd, we help them dream—and achieve.

Shepherd Community wants to offer every middle schooler the chance to see themselves, not as the world sees them, but as they should see themselves: loved and worth fighting for. For the next 40 years at Shepherd, we will continue to walk alongside students like Chris, empowering them to break the cycle of poverty in their families. Watch this video to see how we are inspiring students to work toward their bright futures.