I appreciate the positive feedback I have gotten from some current and former parents of CALO students. That feedback has centered around posts on this blog highlighting successes of former students. When I get such reports of success from parents, and students themselves, it is a job-satisfaction-enhancer. Our work at CALO can be quite difficult at times and to hear positive comments can make the difficult times well worth it. With that in mind, I have another email I want to post here that came in yesterday. The mother of a former student sent it in, and I have changed names only to protect confidentiality. This young lady, Sharon I will call her, had a difficult transition home and things had been very emotional and rough for three weeks. Sharon parted the family home for a few days and then returned. Sharon and the family had some trust to rebuild. They were able to do that work and proceed with plans for Sharon to enter college. That background will probably help make this post make sense. Here is the email:

Hi Ken:

I just wanted you to know that Sharon went to her first day of college and loved it. She aced the class and got a congratulations from the teacher afterward for her participation!

Of course, for the last three weeks her anxiety and her behavior had almost derailed everything we learned and achieved together at CALO. It has been really awful, to tell the truth. Not "it", but "she". And she had permission to get a job instead. Until she got into the car today I did not know if she would go.  But the dogs and I escorted her down the street and over to her school (5 minutes) and 90 minutes later came a triumphant phone call. Transitions are hard, we knew this, but this one was one of the worst. But she is there, now psyched, and we expect her to do well. Her experience with CALO'S dogs created  a serious interest in Veterinary Technology as well as teaching history. Who knew.

One more thing. Her boyfriend has been very supportive of her and has really helped her to remain on track with school! He was a calm voice all month long while she was totally off kilter especially the last two weeks. You never know how things are going to turn out.

We know she owes her success today, as hard as it came, to CALO and what she found there. She gets it too, and has also found a great therapist, and she is committed to that as well.

Take care, Julie

A few weeks earlier I got an email from Landon, our Clinical Director. He had just gotten off the phone with a different student who has been home for just over one year. She wanted to say hello. She is doing very well. Landon then sent out an email to all of us working at CALO. I have included it below with names changed:

Hello Staff,

Many of you who have been employed for at least a year will remember a student who aged out of CALO last July, Lori T.  Lori telephoned CALO today, as she has done a handful of times in the past 12 months, and we chatted for a bit.  I am pleased to report that Lori is doing very well.  She has held down a steady job working with kids and has strong goals and aspirations in her life.  She sounded genuinely positive and happy—still a touch awkward but you can tell she has really made strides in her interactions and relationships.  Her primary purpose for calling was out of concern for friends and former students and how she can help out—another great sign.

I asked Lori about Diva (her adopted CALO dog) and she said she is doing great but likes to eat too much and has gained some weight so Lori is going to exercise her more.  Lori asked about CALO, students, changes and about many of you staff and how you are doing.  She could not believe the growth we have experienced recently and shared she thinks about CALO all of the time.  She even asked if I kept a picture she made me before she left.  You can tell CALO is still a big part of her life.  Lori closed our conversation by asking that I tell everyone hello for her and “please tell them thanks cause’ I don’t think I did that enough.” 

Those of you wondering if you are making a difference may not realize it on a daily or even monthly basis but the seeds you are planting truly take root in their own due time.  Thank you so much for your efforts to bless lives!

Ken writing now--I really miss Lori and am so glad to hear how well she is doing. She struggled mightily when she first got to CALO. Eye contact was very poor. Touch in an safe manner was not possible for her. I couldn't even get her to give me a high five for a long time. She changed all of that in a most impressive way and now she is in an emotional space where she reaches out to friends spontaneously and appropriately. She smiles often and interacts well with those around her. She is not afraid of safe physical contact like shaking hands or a friendly touch on the shoulder. Given a safe environment with intensive therapeutic support and a solid clinical model and our students make massive changes. I love my job.

The following is a message written by one of our graduates, Andrew.  Andrew has since entered our transition program where he is learning more skills and tools to better equip him to live interdependently.  Andrew was in a few treatment centers before his parents found CALO. It's fair to say that prior to Andrew coming to CALO there was much uncertainty and doubt surrounding Andrew's future and his ability to be safe.  Now Andrew is on the verge of his first year of college and will be a long-term, productive member of society. His name and article are being used with his permission.

"The obstacles in my life created hardship and a lot of problems. Eventually it came to a point where I needed the help of residential care. After finding that the first two residential treatment centers I was at were not able to meet my needs, the decision was made that I come to CALO.

The biggest factor that made me agree with the decision was that I was told there were canines at CALO. My second day I was offered the chance to take one of the canines, Rikki, out to potty. At first I was unsure if I was allowed to, because I thought I would have to earn the privilege of playing with a dog. I was used to having to earn things in other programs. It turned out that Jeanna, the Canine Therapy Program Supervisor, saw my hesitation and told me I could handle Rikki. Ever since that moment I hit it off with the canines. They have been the cornerstone of my therapy.

Through parenting the canines, I learned that a lot of the things my parents did to help such as discipline and boundaries were actually necessary. This helped bring understanding and gave me the support to start working on what became a nonexistent relationship with my parents. I starting working with a canine named Jake in August and fell in love. He has been my motivation through my time here at CALO.

I have become quite successful in my own life now; I graduated the full-time CALO program and have been one of the first students in the transition program.  I was accepted by multiple colleges and I have an on-campus job working for Jeanna. Now I work with Jeanna every week and help other students find the joys of working with canines, as well as explaining how they helped me. I believe that these wonderful animals can help all of our students through their struggles, even if they are like me and unable to adopt and bring a canine home."

As you know, we get emails and letters from former students from time to time. I got a short one from a former student just a week or so ago. She wanted me to pass it on to our front line staff. With her permission I am also putting it in this blog post. Here is what she wrote--unedited:

Hey CALO Today is my prom!!!!!!!!!!! ill send pictures later this week!!!! I have adopted a 10 year old Boxer from a family I know who's moving away. Her name is Samantha but we call her sam or sammy. ill send pictures of her also later this week. I have my license now. I heard the shake it song today and it made me think of the good o'l times on the boat! I am still looking for work and have not been so lucky finding a job although i could be trying harder than i am. My parents and i are getting along much better from when i first got home. My dad and I are closer than we've been in a REALLY long time. I hope all is well there and i miss all of you guys. When you see ranger give him lots of love :)

I know it is not a long email but it is just the right length to give all of us at CALO a picture of how this young lady is doing. It is hard to express how happy it makes me to read her words. You see, I (with one other staff member) was the one who picked her up from another program about two years ago. Officials from that other program had brought her to the airport to meet us and we escorted her to Missouri. She was dressed scantily and had quite an attitude. She came across as angry, entitled, and emotionally dangerous. I was alarmed for her and hopeful she would decide to make some changes. Her stay with us was difficult but ultimately productive and she has blossomed beautifully. She does not resemble the young lady I met at the airport at all. She still has an intense personality but it is channeled in all the right ways. She is intelligent and thoughtful. She should be very proud of what she has accomplished and the wonderful young lady she has become.

Every so often we receive communication from former students and parents of students. It is nice to hear how they are doing and what they are up to. I recently received a letter from a parent whose daughter had returned home seven weeks ago. The parent was giving us an update and had this to say about his daughter, who I will call Julia. He wrote: “As of today, Julia has been home for 7 weeks. To date, we have had no ‘volcanic behavioral eruptions.’ Whenever Julia has been anywhere close to a meltdown, she draws upon the coping skills learned at CALO, which certainly includes spending time with her dog, Anya. We continue regular therapy with Diana Giest, the wonderful attachment therapist you met during her visit to CALO last summer, which has been helpful. Ken, it’s difficult to put into words how much it means to Mom and Dad to not have to be ‘hypervigilent’ in our parenting, to protect Julia from poor choices. At this time of year especially, we are thankful to you and your colleagues at CALO for their help and support. You do amazing work!”

That letter alone was quite kind and I am grateful for this parent’s words. That parent then sent a handwritten note from Julia. Here is that letter. Just click on the pdf below:

student EK letter.pdf (1.00 mb)

This was a “payday” letter and the reason we do what we do at CALO. Just wanted to share it with you.

 “CALO has been a gift.”  Nov’08 Graduate

“We aren’t just a family, we are what a family is.”  Nov’08 Graduate

 “Being at CALO saved my life.  I no longer want the PAIN to comfort me, but rather the comfort of my mother’s arms”.  Dec’08 Graduate

 “CALO became my home.  It felt like home.  I felt safe there and I knew no matter how bad I screwed up someone was always there”.   Dec’08 Graduate

 “ I was lost before I came to CALO.” May ‘09 Graduate 

‘I like having a good relationship with my parents.” May ‘09 Graduate

“I can leave CALO feeling better about myself, knowing more about myself, and I can honestly say that my mom trusts me”. June’09 Graduate 

“Nothing changed in my life until I started working in therapy.” July ‘09 Graduate

“My other programs did help me with my  behavior but CALO helped me find myself.”  July ‘09 Student