Not Alone

The morning of boys’ T.R.A.C. in Lakeland, Florida, Hunter faced his judge in juvenile court. But he wasn't alone.  

The 14-year-old young man had been in and out of detention several times, including spending Christmas locked up.  

Jackson, Hunter’s mentor, shared his experience being a T.R.A.C.life mentor at T.R.A.C. National Leadership Training in April. Despite being a new father, Jackson was committed to carve out time for Hunter, even when meeting wasn’t convenient. 

Like on Christmas day. 

Jackson took time away from his holiday festivities to meet with Hunter over a video call. He wanted to be a role model for Hunter, especially since his grandmother spoke badly over her grandson. 

Jackson saw a sweet kid who dreamed about college and held real conversations about his behavior. In fact, the quiet young man had completely surprised Jackson when they went to IHOP on one of their mentoring visits. Hunter got a stomachache from eating too many Cinn-A-Stack pancakes, but he wanted to tell Jackson all about what he’d been reading in the Bible. 

Going to court with Hunter was a stretch for Jackson who had never experienced juvenile detention or community service. However, the judge was so impressed with Jackson’s support, he agreed to let Hunter attend T.R.A.C. if he wore an electronic monitoring bracelet.  

This isn’t the first time a judge has decided in favor of the youth we serve at Teen Reach because of our volunteers. A judge in another case said he’d never seen so many volunteers show up at court on behalf of one teenager. 

Showing up. 

Teen Reach volunteers touch lives in unexpected ways . . . simply by showing teens they’re not alone.