Graduation Celebration!
Four years ago, a young man arrived at Bald Ridge Lodge partway through his freshman year of high school. He came to us, the way many of our residents do, after years of instability in his family and in the foster care system, without a clear picture of what his future held.
Today, that path leads to a graduation stage.
This May, he will become the first person in his family to earn a high school diploma. What an accomplishment! Not just for him, but for every generation that comes after him.
What he has built over these four years is nothing short of remarkable. While navigating all that comes with life in a group home, he challenged himself with a rigorous academic schedule. He entered the workforce at 16, saving carefully until he had enough to purchase his own car, a powerful symbol of independence. He showed the kind of discipline it takes to balance sports practice, employment, and academics without letting any of them slip. Through all of it, he made a deliberate choice to live drug-free, fully aware of the patterns around him and fully resolved to chart a different course. He has been accepted to a four-year college and will be starting next semester.
He is one of two Bald Ridge Lodge residents graduating this May. Two young men stepping into futures that once felt far from certain.
This outcome was made possible for both thanks to the consistency they found here at Bald Ridge Lodge. The staff who show up every day. The stable address. The adults who advocate for them, sit with them through difficult moments, and believe in them, even when it isn’t easy. The environment that gives each resident the space to grow into the person he is meant to be.
That environment exists because of you.
Your support of Bald Ridge Lodge is not abstract. It is present in a college acceptance letter. It is present in a high school diploma. It is present in the life each young man builds for himself and, one day, for the family he hopes to have. Our college-bound graduate has spoken clearly about his intention to give his future children something different from what he was given. Because of your generosity, he now has the foundation to do exactly that.
As we enter another season of possibility for the young men in our care, I am deeply grateful for the role you play in making these moments real. Thank you for believing, as we do, that every young man who walks through our doors deserves a chance to write a story worth telling.
Gratefully,
Angela Dikes
Executive Director
