Watch CBS News

Sheridan House Working To Save Students From Wrong Path

DAVIE (CBSMiami) – It started with a visit from a judge to the pastor of Sheridan Hills who wanted to avoid sending kids with behavioral problems to jail.

Now, some 46 years later, the Sheridan House continues to provide help for families on everything from counseling to meal planning on a budget and more.

"My parents tried Counseling, but Sheridan is the only place that provide what they were looking for," said Jimmy Purchase.

He said he joined the Sheridan House's residential program as a teenager after a growing trend of behavioral problems. Purchase said his family quickly understood he was "living a lifestyle that was just on its way to destruction."

The residential program provides participants with food, shelter, live-in house parents, and counselors. The center now has five homes caring for more than 130 middle-school aged boys and girls each year. The goal for the program remains simple; help the kids turn their lives around.

"Through my time here, I really came to grips with the fact that there are consequences for my actions and that my choices mattered," Purchase said. "With my house parents and the counselor that was there at the property, I really received one-on-one care and was ministered to by those people."

Purchase continued, "They were able to hear and see where I was headed with the kinds of decisions I was making and they really helped get my life back on track."

Purchase is a testimony to the program's success. He's now 26-years-old, is a worship pastor at a Davie Church, is married and now the father of a baby girl. Sheridan officials say if they do their job right, "when we are done, they are hireable and marriageable."

The Sheridan House is a non-profit organization and on Saturday, it will hold its 6th annual Family Values 5k Walk/Run Fundraiser. The event is open to the public and does not cost anything to participate, but the group does ask for a donation if possible.

To find out more about the Sheridan House and the Family Values Walk/Run, click here.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.