"We want to thank you, Richard, Jimmy, Jason, and all of the AYC staff, for helping our son grow into a life with a spiritual basis, free of drugs. We share the sentiments of the other testimonials and would like to add a few thoughts and experiences not already mentioned. Our son arrived in the summer of 2007 after a month at Caron in Pennsylvania. We knew that he was not ready to come home, and we were blessed to meet other parents at Caron who had chosen AYC for follow-up treatment. After a year our son is graduating from the full program to the three-quarter format. The structure and guidance you provide helps him to recognize a new reality for him and has helped build his confidence; we pray that soon he will be ready to be on his own.
Several events stand out. First was the summer job you lined up for him soon after he arrived. Using his own honest sweat to earn money was new to him, and it allowed him to pay for a season ski pass on the local slopes. He then completed his senior year and graduated from Kalispell High School, a 2,000-student public school. He started off with a underperformance that he had become accustomed to, but then he realized - with AYC's help - that he could do much better work if he focused and exerted himself. In May the faculty voted him student of the month. In the summer of 2008 you helped him get another summer job, which will enable him to buy a used care (a car is alomsot a necessity to hold a job in Kalispell). The addtioional work experience strongly supports hi sense of independence and success.
We knew that things were going well when our son asked, "What would you think if I stayed in Montana?" His question says it all. He is now planning to work for a while, to take responsibility for his life, and to make it on his own. If he is ready, Flathead Valley Junior College is nearby. We thank you, AYC, for providing the guidance, structure, discipline, and support our son needed."

"Our son was behind a wall. We could talk to him, but he could not hear us. We didn’t know how he got there. We didn’t know how to get him out. Our life continued on each day, but he was not really there.
We got here through small steps that you can’t see until you are there. He was part of the family, very sensitive and yet adventurous. But he had pain that he could not take by himself. He was able to ease the pain with the drugs and alcohol. There were flashes of trouble. He would sneak out in the night. He was so distant.
The real cry for help came when he broke into a church while drunk. We started therapy and worked through probation. He always seemed like he was making progress. It’s hard to know if he was ever really honest with the therapist.  Outside things looked better at school and with his friends.
Then we had to move. He started school and things seemed normal until he had an accident on a bike. He had to take pain medication for the severe headaches from the accident. Things only got worse as he was trying to dull the pain from a move and a low self esteem. He used cold medicine to dull the senses. He tried everything in our medicine cabinet and was headed toward some kind of overdose. We tried therapy, but the doctor said he needed more help than he could provide. He introduced us to Hazelden.
We took a leap of faith. Hazelden’s credentials were solid and we had nowhere else to turn. It was so difficult to think we had failed and that someone else would have to help our son come back to life. We only received calls from our son when he needed something. We felt very isolated.
We went to the family weekend and our son looked and acted much the same as when he had left. He was distant and unhappy about the separation from his friends and family. The shock came for us when it was recommended that he continue in a halfway house. We had really expected him to come home with us.
Hazelden recommended Alternative Youth Care (AYC) in Kalispell, Montana. It was so far away from our home. We tried to find a halfway house closer to home, but God wanted our son in Montana. 
Our first conversation with AYC was with Jimmy. My wife spent nearly an hour discussing the house and the way she wanted him to be treated with love and a mother’s touch. Jimmy was so understanding and patient with all of our concerns. To convince my wife that her son is better off with someone else is not an easy chore.
We had a breakthrough within a month and a half. Our son called home and said he was sorry and needed God. We felt such relief, but as usual it was measured relief because we were waiting for the other shoe to drop. We started to get calls more often. He would be up and down, but he would always talk about the bond between him and the other guys in the house. It was obvious that he wasn’t fighting alone anymore.
The kids weren’t perfect. We would hear about punishments for the house like days without a TV. The punishment would be lifted when someone admitted to the offense. This was the group mentality that taught our son to depend on others when months earlier he didn’t even care about himself.
We would also get updates on where he was in the 12 step process. Some of the calls were very rough because he wanted to discuss ways that he had hurt us. It was catharsis for him and for us. The call would almost always end up with him apologizing for the things he had done to us. Instead of focusing on his pain and his problems, he was starting to focus on his healing process. We would get weekly updates with our counselor. Sometimes the update would be positive as steps were taken forward, but sometimes the update would be some offense that he had committed against the house. He learned to accept the punishment and grow.
Our son was able to continue his high school classes and actually graduated from Kalispell High School. He attended school every day with the guys from the house so he always had family at the school. The school was very accepting of the kids and there was no animosity or taunting during his time there. Two of the teachers even rewarded him for his leadership in the class.
During the summer our son worked in various jobs. They also went camping and rafting down the river.
The people that worked in the house were always available to us. They treated the boys with respect and love. They were firm with discipline when called for. They managed the chores which the boys were responsible for and brought them to the doctor, to meet with outside counselors and any other errand that needed running.
The process can be long and hard. We expected our son to be gone for 90 days after he left Hazelden. He eventually stayed for nine months before the staff felt he was prepared to come home to us. Every boy is different and will require different types of attention for different periods of time. The program only works if sufficient time is given for the kids to complete the steps.
This program has allowed our son to change into someone who cares about himself and his sobriety. The 12 step program is the foundation upon which everything is built. The boys see real life examples of how to live a sober life since most of the staff are recovering alcoholics. The staff cares about your son and will do their best to help."

"I am writing to express my heart-felt gratitude for AYC, the owner of this wonderful recovery home, then entire staff, and especially our counselor and friend, Jimmy Martinez. We lost our son to drugs and alcohol many years ago. It was a steady decline that we attempted to right, but to no avail. We tried everything good parents try to get the help for their child that they feel they need, but everything seemed to be unsuccessful. Our son ended up at Hazelden in Minnesota, Through the parenting program there, Al-anon and other help given to us, we were able to get the help we needed to afford our son the help he needed. Through much prayer and wise counsel, we made a commitment to follow the recommendations of Hazelden for our son to receive aftercare at AYC. Our best attempts to help our son had not worked out, so with much humility, our son joined the family at AYC. That is what AYC has been to our son and also ourselves, a family of caring, sharing, wise guidance and counsel. It hasn't been an easy road for any of us, especially our dear, much-loved son, but I truly believe he would not be with us today had we done it our way. AYC, and with wisdom-filled guidance has helped us all overcome the obstacles and barriers that have robbed our family and our home of the love and joy we now experience, I realize it is a life-long journey and we must all continue to do the things necessary, especially our son, for him to stay clean and sober; but we now have hope that has replaced our despair. We now have a relationship with our son that is really good. We now have our family back. ."

"AYC was a gift from God for my son and our whole family.  I always say my son got 100 times a college education out there!   He grew up and matured.  He learned about himself and his triggers.  He got a tool box full of tools to help him treat his disease.  He really grabbed hold of the 12 Step Programs and grew so much, spiritually.  He learned how to get along with a lot of guys, who will be life time friends.  His confidence grew and his ego and entitlement shrank.  He really appreciated his family when he got home which was such a blessing because through the addiction our relationship was very strained.  AYC has such an incredible group of people supporting the boys there."