BGC News Summer 2016 | Page 6

Feature Brenda’s Story – A New Start on Life As a little girl all Brenda wanted was to live in a house with running water and electricity. She had not had that in her young life. She’d only known abuse, poverty, and moves from shelter to shelter. When Brenda’s siblings came to live at Boys and Girls Country, Brenda stayed with her mom. Over the next three years, she moved five times between family members and a foster home. When Brenda turned 5 years old, she joined her brother and sister here. After a rough start in life, Boys and Girls Country provided a safe, stable place Brenda could call home. As expected, she needed time to adjust to the stability and structure that Boys and Girls Country gave her. Brenda knows that working through the turmoil of those early years is part of her growth. She cherishes the memories she has made and continues to make. She has gone to Christian camps, on mission trips, and even taken horseback riding lessons. “Without Boys and Girls Country,” says Brenda, “who knows where my life would be now?” Today Brenda is thriving and excelling in school as a 7th grader with one of the highest grade point averages on campus, a 4.6. She is involved in Competition Choir, basketball, and National Junior Honor Society, and she also serves on the Boys and Girls Country Leadership Council. She says, “I plan on staying here until I graduate from Texas A&M. I know if I do, Boys and Girls Country will ensure that I will finish college debt-free and have what I need to get a good start in life.” 6 Boys and Girls Country News | Summer 2016