Chadwick first came to Patch in July of 2000. He used up much of his first year trying to find a loophole so he could get home.
Eventually though, he got down to work. Nearly two years after arriving, he graduated from Patch. Chadwick went on to finish high school . . . surprising himself with honors and a Presidential Award for academic achievement. He got a job, operating heavy machinery, got married, then joined the Army. After two deployments and several years of service, Chadwick left the Army and began working in security at the Idaho State Capitol.
His life took a surprising turn when he accepted a new opportunity. He has come back to the Patch campus, as a member of the Direct Care Staff in the boys’ dorm.
Patch looks different after 21 years . . . but it brings up many memories of time out in Wilderness, away from all distractions. He recalls those moments of solitude as some of the most profound in his life. He remembers the value of that time, fighting through his emotions and learning to lean on God to meet the obstacles in his life.
During his deployment in the Army, he utilized the skills he learned at Patch. Teamwork, communication and coping skills, and the true value of hard work have been instrumental to his success in life, along with the ability to handle negative emotions when they arise.
Arriving back on campus to serve Patch teens, Chadwick better appreciates just how tough the job is. As a resident, it’s difficult to see what the staff actually do. . . . Chadwick now realizes how much time staff spends caring, strategizing, and praying for the teens during and after Patch.
It’s hard for teens to recognize the destructive behaviors they may be participating in. The challenge for staff is to find creative ways to share feedback so teens can gain insight into their behaviors and use skills to address their threats.
Around campus, we often refer to each other as a family, but “Patch family” takes on additional meaning for Chadwick. Along with Chadwick being an alumnus and a current employee, his mom, Joy, is a member of the Patch Board, and his wife will be joining the staff on a part-time basis in the kitchen. They have a deep desire to give others the same care and support Chadwick received.
“There is no expiration date on God’s blessings that He plants in a young adult’s life,” observes Chadwick. “Sometimes it just takes a while for traction to kick in and take hold. Without my time at Patch, I would not have had the experiences I needed to succeed.”
Above all else, Chadwick credits his faith. During his time at Patch, he had significant breakthroughs in his spiritual journey. Without his faith in God, working now with teens at Patch would be a much more difficult job. The staff who worked with him were what he calls his “lighthouses” and showed him how to be a positive, firm, caring man of God.
As a new staff member, Chadwick has some advice for parents: “Don’t get in the way of God! If you are thinking about sending your kid somewhere for help, don’t stand in the way of your own child’s potential progress. Trust God and allow Him to work through the Patch team.”
At Patch, we welcome teens from all walks of life with different experiences, home backgrounds, and levels of faith. Staff like Chadwick are instrumental in helping shape the mindset of our teens as they see a living example of what hard work and strong faith in God can achieve in life after Patch.
Teens at Project Patch are here for many reasons. Parents send their teens to Patch because of destructive behaviors. They may be struggling with drugs, sex, poor school performance, self-harm, or other things that destroy life. But our goal goes beyond helping them break undesirable behavioral patterns. They need hope for the future – hope based on hard work that leads to productive, meaningful lives.
Our entire teamworks hard to spread hope, whether in school, counseling, working, or in worship.
The School of Opportunity program is one of our hope-building tools. Month by month a different guest speaks to our teens. These presenters share their experiences in life and work. Teens can hear turn-around stories of hope. Speakers include trades people, doctors, teachers, leadership coaches, even an Olympian.
The School of Opportunity exposes teens to people who believe life is worth pursuing and shows them that opportunities are still open to them. Many teens have a poor understanding of what success is and how to reach it. Success is more than just owning things. It’s living life with purpose and making a positive impact on others. Teens at Patch who participate in four or more sessions are eligible to receive a certificate of completion that can be added to their resume.
“I will always be thankful for the opportunity to learn new things that I probably wouldn’t have learned if I wasn’t at Patch,” commented Nancy. She attended four sessions before graduating from Patch this summer. She enjoyed learning and expanding her knowledge while on campus.
In June, Larry Briggs, author of Sticky Leadership, shared his experiences virtually. Teens listened to his life story. They learned how he came to write his book. He talked about the foundation of hope on which he has built his personal and professional life. Teens spent over thirty minutes asking Larry questions ranging from “What inspired you to write a book?” to “What was your favorite country to visit?”
One thing is certain, The School of Opportunity allows teens to view success in a way they might not get to otherwise. As Nancy put it, “The School of Opportunity gives me a chance to learn about things people do daily. You can learn about something spectacular, but The School of Opportunity allows you to learn how they actually got to that point.”
As our teens see how others have chased opportunity, they start to dream. They see the need to have positive friendships, good health, emotional stability, and wisdom to reach those dreams.
Do you have career and life advice that you would be willing to share with our teens? If you would be interested in presenting at an upcoming session of The School of Opportunity, please email info@projectpatch.org.
A Day at The Races
When teens come to Project Patch, they work really hard. They work hard at getting their grades up in school, they work hard in therapy, and they work hard adjusting to their new life at Project Patch. Our staff knows this and works just as hard to make sure that teens also get to experience some care-free fun and just be kids again.
As staff made plans for school break, they wanted to get creative and provide an experience that the teens wouldn’t normally get to have. Enter the Pinewood Derby. Wooden car kits were ordered for teens to paint and race. When the kits arrived, they learned that Pinewood Derby kits are just blocks of wood that need to be designed and cut before they are painted. This easy and fun Pinewood Derby event turned into a woodworking project involving many members of the staff and full participation from the teens.
The first step was to explain the science behind the different design options and how those could affect the speed of the car. Staff told teens that the cars would be judged on two elements: speed and design. Then each of the teens got to work. Fortunately, a few staff members are woodworkers and were able to help teach the basic skills, make big cuts, and set the teens up to craft their own cars.
A challenging aspect of this project was motivating the teens, both boys and girls, to do something that most of them had never done before. They started off with little interest – but that was to change.
“You should have seen the faces on the girls when we handed them a plain block of wood that they were supposed to turn into a race car – priceless and challenging!” is how girls’ dorm director Shari Barnes describes the initial moment.
As the project continued, the teens got more into the process and learned by experience the science behind getting the cars to speed up. The girls experimented with placing different weights on their cars and spent most of their free time working on perfecting their designs . . . while the boys generally waited until the last minute to finish up their cars.
The break from school ended with the excitement of race day. Racing their cars, the teens finally could see how their creations would stack up against every other one. One of the top cars of the day was designed by the girl who showed the least amount of confidence in her car and the experience!
“It was so rewarding to see how excited they were to see their cars actually race,” says Shari. “The derby was a huge success. None of these kids would have probably ever experienced something like this outside of Patch. Showing them a life besides electronics is one of the things I love most about working here. They took so much pride in their cars, and I really hope we can continue projects like these.”
Hard work is not always fun, but our teens worked hard to create their cars and they were able to play even harder on race day.
It’s summer…which means time for road trips. I like to think during long drives. The drive from Portland to Idaho provides plenty of opportunities for deep thoughts…and for kids to repeatedly say, “Are we almost there?” and “I’m hungry!”
Driving is a good metaphor for the work we do at Patch. Many of our teens come to us barely moving. They’ve been on rough roads and endured harsh circumstances. Most lack regular maintenance and don’t know how to respond to all the warning lights. Teens are racing full speed, running from threats while crashing into others, while some have run out of fuel and aren’t too interested in moving at all…
We are in the repair business. We use individual and group therapy, spiritual care, education, mentoring, exercise, food, and sleep to help our teens repair their systems. We teach them how to respond to threats and triggers. We teach them to navigate relationships at home and with their peers. It’s not easy work, but it is rewarding to see a teen “come back to life.”
This repair work is essential, but the work we love most is helping our teens discover and pursue their ultimate destination. They weren’t created just to sit in the garage, they have a journey and destination.
This edition of PatchWorks shares some of our work to help our teens discover their purpose while preparing them for the long journey. The story of our teens is only beginning when they leave the shelter of our campus, but the miracle is that whether clients return years later as staff, become donors, or raise their kids using our tools, we remain a part of their journey.
Thank you for your financial support–which makes this critical work possible, and your prayers–which help make our work effective.
Coming This Month: Project Maranatha!
Our beautiful Garden Valley campus is set to receive some improvements this summer with the help of a team of Maranatha volunteers. Volunteers will repair sidewalks, replace siding, paint the main building and both dorms, and replace windows with updated and more energy-efficient models.
Maranatha Volunteers International is a Christian ministry that organizes about fifty mission projects each year, recruiting more than 2,400 participants. Over the course of Maranatha history, nearly 70,000 volunteers have worked on a project.
Are you interested in joining the Maranatha team this summer to help complete the campus projects? If this is not the right time to volunteer, consider giving financially to the Maranatha project to help pay for supplies and other costs associated with this project. Please visit projectpatch.com/maranatha for more event information, register to attend, and/or give to the project.
With the sale of the Goldendale property this past winter, The Family Experience is hitting the road to host the weekend retreat in the communities that need it most. If your church, school, or community is interested in hosting The Family Experience for those who would like to pull together as a family, please visit projectpatch.org/family-program for more information and request a call to talk about hosting the program in your community.
Chuck is also available to present seminars in person or virtually! He is available to speak at churches, schools, and retreats. His main topics include teen issues, parenting, leadership, and thriving in a world of technology. Chuck has over 33 years of speaking experience, including sermons, keynotes, seminars, and conference breakouts, and is ready to serve communities in need. Please visit projectpatch.org/speaking for more information and to request Chuck at your event.
Project Patch Wish List
For those who prefer to give toward a specific project, the following list contains items which are needed, yet are not part of the operating budget. Please make sure to note on your gift if you would like it designated for a Wish List item. In the event that the item has already been purchased, we will contact you for further instructions.
If you are mailing a check for a specific item, please mark “Wish List” and the item you’d like to purchase on your check. To make your donation via credit card, you can call our office at 360-690-8495 or give online at www.projectpatch.og/wishlist.
PatchWorks Summer 2021
From Client to Staff
Chadwick first came to Patch in July of 2000. He used up much of his first year trying to find a loophole so he could get home.
Eventually though, he got down to work. Nearly two years after arriving, he graduated from Patch. Chadwick went on to finish high school . . . surprising himself with honors and a Presidential Award for academic achievement. He got a job, operating heavy machinery, got married, then joined the Army. After two deployments and several years of service, Chadwick left the Army and began working in security at the Idaho State Capitol.
His life took a surprising turn when he accepted a new opportunity. He has come back to the Patch campus, as a member of the Direct Care Staff in the boys’ dorm.
Patch looks different after 21 years . . . but it brings up many memories of time out in Wilderness, away from all distractions. He recalls those moments of solitude as some of the most profound in his life. He remembers the value of that time, fighting through his emotions and learning to lean on God to meet the obstacles in his life.
During his deployment in the Army, he utilized the skills he learned at Patch. Teamwork, communication and coping skills, and the true value of hard work have been instrumental to his success in life, along with the ability to handle negative emotions when they arise.
Arriving back on campus to serve Patch teens, Chadwick better appreciates just how tough the job is. As a resident, it’s difficult to see what the staff actually do. . . . Chadwick now realizes how much time staff spends caring, strategizing, and praying for the teens during and after Patch.
It’s hard for teens to recognize the destructive behaviors they may be participating in. The challenge for staff is to find creative ways to share feedback so teens can gain insight into their behaviors and use skills to address their threats.
Around campus, we often refer to each other as a family, but “Patch family” takes on additional meaning for Chadwick. Along with Chadwick being an alumnus and a current employee, his mom, Joy, is a member of the Patch Board, and his wife will be joining the staff on a part-time basis in the kitchen. They have a deep desire to give others the same care and support Chadwick received.
“There is no expiration date on God’s blessings that He plants in a young adult’s life,” observes Chadwick. “Sometimes it just takes a while for traction to kick in and take hold. Without my time at Patch, I would not have had the experiences I needed to succeed.”
Above all else, Chadwick credits his faith. During his time at Patch, he had significant breakthroughs in his spiritual journey. Without his faith in God, working now with teens at Patch would be a much more difficult job. The staff who worked with him were what he calls his “lighthouses” and showed him how to be a positive, firm, caring man of God.
As a new staff member, Chadwick has some advice for parents: “Don’t get in the way of God! If you are thinking about sending your kid somewhere for help, don’t stand in the way of your own child’s potential progress. Trust God and allow Him to work through the Patch team.”
At Patch, we welcome teens from all walks of life with different experiences, home backgrounds, and levels of faith. Staff like Chadwick are instrumental in helping shape the mindset of our teens as they see a living example of what hard work and strong faith in God can achieve in life after Patch.
The School of Opportunity
Teens at Project Patch are here for many reasons. Parents send their teens to Patch because of destructive behaviors. They may be struggling with drugs, sex, poor school performance, self-harm, or other things that destroy life. But our goal goes beyond helping them break undesirable behavioral patterns. They need hope for the future – hope based on hard work that leads to productive, meaningful lives.
Our entire team works hard to spread hope, whether in school, counseling, working, or in worship.
The School of Opportunity program is one of our hope-building tools. Month by month a different guest speaks to our teens. These presenters share their experiences in life and work. Teens can hear turn-around stories of hope. Speakers include trades people, doctors, teachers, leadership coaches, even an Olympian.
The School of Opportunity exposes teens to people who believe life is worth pursuing and shows them that opportunities are still open to them. Many teens have a poor understanding of what success is and how to reach it. Success is more than just owning things. It’s living life with purpose and making a positive impact on others. Teens at Patch who participate in four or more sessions are eligible to receive a certificate of completion that can be added to their resume.
“I will always be thankful for the opportunity to learn new things that I probably wouldn’t have learned if I wasn’t at Patch,” commented Nancy. She attended four sessions before graduating from Patch this summer. She enjoyed learning and expanding her knowledge while on campus.
In June, Larry Briggs, author of Sticky Leadership, shared his experiences virtually. Teens listened to his life story. They learned how he came to write his book. He talked about the foundation of hope on which he has built his personal and professional life. Teens spent over thirty minutes asking Larry questions ranging from “What inspired you to write a book?” to “What was your favorite country to visit?”
One thing is certain, The School of Opportunity allows teens to view success in a way they might not get to otherwise. As Nancy put it, “The School of Opportunity gives me a chance to learn about things people do daily. You can learn about something spectacular, but The School of Opportunity allows you to learn how they actually got to that point.”
As our teens see how others have chased opportunity, they start to dream. They see the need to have positive friendships, good health, emotional stability, and wisdom to reach those dreams.
Do you have career and life advice that you would be willing to share with our teens? If you would be interested in presenting at an upcoming session of The School of Opportunity, please email info@projectpatch.org.
A Day at The Races
When teens come to Project Patch, they work really hard. They work hard at getting their grades up in school, they work hard in therapy, and they work hard adjusting to their new life at Project Patch. Our staff knows this and works just as hard to make sure that teens also get to experience some care-free fun and just be kids again.
As staff made plans for school break, they wanted to get creative and provide an experience that the teens wouldn’t normally get to have. Enter the Pinewood Derby. Wooden car kits were ordered for teens to paint and race. When the kits arrived, they learned that Pinewood Derby kits are just blocks of wood that need to be designed and cut before they are painted. This easy and fun Pinewood Derby event turned into a woodworking project involving many members of the staff and full participation from the teens.
The first step was to explain the science behind the different design options and how those could affect the speed of the car. Staff told teens that the cars would be judged on two elements: speed and design. Then each of the teens got to work. Fortunately, a few staff members are woodworkers and were able to help teach the basic skills, make big cuts, and set the teens up to craft their own cars.
A challenging aspect of this project was motivating the teens, both boys and girls, to do something that most of them had never done before. They started off with little interest – but that was to change.
“You should have seen the faces on the girls when we handed them a plain block of wood that they were supposed to turn into a race car – priceless and challenging!” is how girls’ dorm director Shari Barnes describes the initial moment.
As the project continued, the teens got more into the process and learned by experience the science behind getting the cars to speed up. The girls experimented with placing different weights on their cars and spent most of their free time working on perfecting their designs . . . while the boys generally waited until the last minute to finish up their cars.
The break from school ended with the excitement of race day. Racing their cars, the teens finally could see how their creations would stack up against every other one. One of the top cars of the day was designed by the girl who showed the least amount of confidence in her car and the experience!
“It was so rewarding to see how excited they were to see their cars actually race,” says Shari. “The derby was a huge success. None of these kids would have probably ever experienced something like this outside of Patch. Showing them a life besides electronics is one of the things I love most about working here. They took so much pride in their cars, and I really hope we can continue projects like these.”
Hard work is not always fun, but our teens worked hard to create their cars and they were able to play even harder on race day.
Piecing It Together
By Chuck Hagele, CEO
It’s summer…which means time for road trips. I like to think during long drives. The drive from Portland to Idaho provides plenty of opportunities for deep thoughts…and for kids to repeatedly say, “Are we almost there?” and “I’m hungry!”
Driving is a good metaphor for the work we do at Patch. Many of our teens come to us barely moving. They’ve been on rough roads and endured harsh circumstances. Most lack regular maintenance and don’t know how to respond to all the warning lights. Teens are racing full speed, running from threats while crashing into others, while some have run out of fuel and aren’t too interested in moving at all…
We are in the repair business. We use individual and group therapy, spiritual care, education, mentoring, exercise, food, and sleep to help our teens repair their systems. We teach them how to respond to threats and triggers. We teach them to navigate relationships at home and with their peers. It’s not easy work, but it is rewarding to see a teen “come back to life.”
This repair work is essential, but the work we love most is helping our teens discover and pursue their ultimate destination. They weren’t created just to sit in the garage, they have a journey and destination.
This edition of PatchWorks shares some of our work to help our teens discover their purpose while preparing them for the long journey. The story of our teens is only beginning when they leave the shelter of our campus, but the miracle is that whether clients return years later as staff, become donors, or raise their kids using our tools, we remain a part of their journey.
Thank you for your financial support–which makes this critical work possible, and your prayers–which help make our work effective.
Coming This Month: Project Maranatha!
Our beautiful Garden Valley campus is set to receive some improvements this summer with the help of a team of Maranatha volunteers. Volunteers will repair sidewalks, replace siding, paint the main building and both dorms, and replace windows with updated and more energy-efficient models.
Maranatha Volunteers International is a Christian ministry that organizes about fifty mission projects each year, recruiting more than 2,400 participants. Over the course of Maranatha history, nearly 70,000 volunteers have worked on a project.
Are you interested in joining the Maranatha team this summer to help complete the campus projects? If this is not the right time to volunteer, consider giving financially to the Maranatha project to help pay for supplies and other costs associated with this project. Please visit projectpatch.com/maranatha for more event information, register to attend, and/or give to the project.
Family Experience/Seminar Update
With the sale of the Goldendale property this past winter, The Family Experience is hitting the road to host the weekend retreat in the communities that need it most. If your church, school, or community is interested in hosting The Family Experience for those who would like to pull together as a family, please visit projectpatch.org/family-program for more information and request a call to talk about hosting the program in your community.
Chuck is also available to present seminars in person or virtually! He is available to speak at churches, schools, and retreats. His main topics include teen issues, parenting, leadership, and thriving in a world of technology. Chuck has over 33 years of speaking experience, including sermons, keynotes, seminars, and conference breakouts, and is ready to serve communities in need. Please visit projectpatch.org/speaking for more information and to request Chuck at your event.
Project Patch Wish List
For those who prefer to give toward a specific project, the following list contains items which are needed, yet are not part of the operating budget. Please make sure to note on your gift if you would like it designated for a Wish List item. In the event that the item has already been purchased, we will contact you for further instructions.
If you are mailing a check for a specific item, please mark “Wish List” and the item you’d like to purchase on your check. To make your donation via credit card, you can call our office at 360-690-8495 or give online at www.projectpatch.og/wishlist.
The Girls’ Dorm out on a rafting adventure!
Share this: