History
Over 25 years ago, a middle school counselor found out that a young
boy, only about 12 years old, was living in the Goodwill box located on
the school grounds. He said he had nowhere to go, and was getting in
trouble for staying out on the streets. Because school was the one place
where he felt the safest, he made his home in the perceived security of
the box. At the time, the only alternative that homeless youth had to
living on the street was incarceration with adult criminals.
That young boy, James Carlson, inspired the school counselor to gather a
group of friends from the community, and build a home for children like
him. A home that didn’t require young children who were homeless,
runaways, or had been abused to be locked up like a criminal.
From the hard work of this dedicated group of individuals, Grayson
County Juvenile Alternatives was formed in 1979, with the first shelter
for homeless youth located on Cherry Street in downtown Sherman.
James was grateful for the work done on his behalf and for other
children who found themselves in his situation. Several years later, he
painted the picture above of some of the items that were in the Goodwill box
with him while called it home. This pictures continues to hang in
our facility.
James later died in a car accident while
still only a young adult, and when the paramedics opened his wallet, the
only thing they found was a small scrap of paper with the phone number
of the school counselor who had worked so hard on his behalf. His spirit lives on in the many youth who
find a safe home here with us.
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