PERSONAL STORIES:

TAMMIE'S STORY:

What an honor it is for me to give back to an organization that helped me out so much. To show my appreciation for Quakerdale I would like to share my story with you.

My father died when I was 12 years old and my mother was not equipped to raise three adolescent girls alone. I quickly took advantage of this and started to drink and skip school. I was severely depressed and I started on a path of self-destruction.

In the next two years I ran away countless times and started to do drugs to take the edge off of my pain. The spiral of despair continued. I did whatever it took to eat, bathe and to find a safe place. My mother could not take care of our basic needs and I grew up very quickly.

Someone finally did and a very kind social worker committed me to a psychiatric unit. I was eventually placed in a group home in town. This was a very bad arrangement since I had already talked to several adults in the community who could help me get the drugs and alcohol I needed. By the time I left there I had given most of the kids tattoos, formed a black market through the middle school and had educated most of them in how to get rides out of town...not a good placement for me.

My social worker had had enough and decided to send me to a location out in the country far from others. I was stunned the first time I saw Quakerdale. There were cows in a pasture next to our cottage and it was very quiet. I hated it. It was too quiet and too secluded.

I was an angry, belligerent child who learned very quickly that any act of defiance was dealt with swiftly. In my first hour at Tatum Cottage I was put in the corner for cussing. My reeducation had begun.

I excelled at school and became a cheerleader for the basketball team. My academic achievement before was poor since I did not attend school on a regular basis. My self-esteem improved and I started to deal with the issues that had been at the root of my problems.

I was allowed to attend drug and alcohol meetings and the group therapy really helped. I had wonderful, loving staff that let me know that I was important. The seeds of change had been sowed.

When I left Quakerdale I was optimistic that my family would be better. It wasn't meant to be and at the age of sixteen I moved out and have lived on my own ever since. My choices have not always been the best but I stayed in contact with a few staff members who really tried to help me when I would reach out for help. This encouragement helped me to dream of a different future and I enrolled in a community college to see if I could get a degree.

Several degrees later, I now teach at a community college and my life is so different than it would have been if I hadn't had some intervention. Several of my friends from my old life have been to prison, a few have died and the rest are still living that lifestyle. I was fortunate to do something different with my life and that really only happened because of an exposure to a different way to live and a beginning relationship with God.

Today I feel God's presence in my life and allow him to lead me on the path that he would have me walk. I don't feel alone today and I tried to live God's will in my life. This unselfish way of living life allows me to give more to my children and my husband because it allows me to think of them first. I hope through continuing prayer and meditation that my spiritual life will continue to grow.

If you could meet my children today, you would see that they are the true recipients of Quakerdale. They know they are loved, they are taken care of and they have never suffered in pain, silently begging for someone to love them. Quakerdale spared them the pain of my childhood and for that I am truly grateful."

Quakerdale's Vision for the 21st Century:
To promote peacemaking in a violent world

Who We Are | What's New? | Our Locations | Our History
Caring for the Forgotten Child | Governance | Programs & Services | Spirituality at Quakerdale
How You Can Help | Special Events | Careers | Frequently Asked Questions
Notice of Information Practices | Contact Us | Our Links | Home