“It was the best experience I could have ever had.”
I was a student at Cherry Gulch for one and a half years and graduated in 2018. It was the best experience I could have ever had and I cannot thank the staff enough. Not only have they improved but they have given me a new healthier life. I have no clue what I would have done with out all the support especially from Dave, Katie, Pink and Will P and my parents. If your looking for a new life for your child, from personal experience, Cherry Gulch is the right place to be.
- Brent Z., Former Student
“I am so thankful for you…I just started a volunteer program.”
Dear Cherry Gulch,
Thanks for helping set my life back on track. I am so thankful for you and all your great and caring group of staff. I’m making good choices and I have amazing true friends that I spend all my time with. I also just started a volunteer program called big brother. It’s where I have a young brother who I spend time with every week. They were like me when I was young with anger issues. I love my brother and we do so many fun things. He’s 9 years old. I also joined the cadet program where I go on ride-alongs and help arrest people, it’s super interesting…
Thanks to you, my peers, and staff for everything
- Former Student
“I hope you all realize how much you have done for us.”
Dear Cherry Gulch,
Next week we are heading out of town to spend Thanksgiving in Virginia at a resort. We have skeet shooting, bowling, lots of eating and fly fishing on the agenda. It will be a really great getaway. I love Thanksgiving because it is a time to reflect on all that we have to be grateful for.
Thinking back on this year, and where we were one year ago, I wanted to pass along my gratitude to you and to Cherry Gulch. Hard to know where to begin, but I guess I want to thank you for getting me back on course. When we sit down on Thursday, I will be grateful for having my both children at the table with me. Even in moments of doubt and fear, I put my trust in you and the program at CG – you never let us down. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate seeing my son, once again, as strong, capable, intelligent, caring, and fun loving. The parenting strategies we learned, the card system, the ability to step back and reflect and get back on track made all this possible. At Cherry Gulch my son allowed himself to become the perceptive, caring leader that he is. I see it over and over again with his sister and with peers he interacts with. More important, he sees himself as a leader. I have said it before, but I hope you all realize how much you have done for us, and how much we have done for ourselves under your care. It really is extraordinary.
There are still bumps, but we are resilient, we have tools to use to communicate, there is no drama. For that, I am grateful.
My best wishes to you and your families on Thanksgiving. Hold them close.
- Mother of Former Student
“Really focused on putting students and families first.”
Cherry Gulch,
First, your program is without peer in the treatment of younger adolescent boys. I have seen a lot of programs and have never seen one with such an impressive array of well-thought-out clinical, educational, milieu, and experimental services that are tailored for boys with the needs of those you serve.
Cherry Gulch has a good, peaceful feel. The guys look content and involved. The pacing of activities, the intentionality of your milieu and the impressive variety of activities is rarely combined in the ways you have designed. I believe you are a fabulous “bang for the buck”, and your classroom size, therapist to student ratios, learning content, and opportunities are reflective of a program that is really rich in opportunities for change and really focused on putting students and families first.
Congratulations on doing it right!
All my best,
Kimball (LCSW, Senior Vice President of Innerchange)
“A YEAR in IDAHO changed my whole LIFE.”
Thanks to everybody working at Cherry Gulch. I consider it the best experience I had so far. A YEAR in IDAHO changed my whole LIFE…
I won’t say goodbye because I will never be gone from this adventure. If I have the possibility in the future I will come back as an alumni to show other students that positive changes happen.
- Former Student
“As we watch his independence… we say a little “thank-you” in our hearts to you.”
Dear Cherry Gulch,
Every day we think about the staff at Cherry Gulch. Our son is thriving at home and really enjoying the public high school here in Lake Forest. As we watch his independence and courage to try new things, we say a little “thank-you” in our hearts to you and all the wonderful staff.
It was truly an agonizing decision to leave our son with strangers in Emmett, Idaho. There was no amount of research we could have done to know in advance what a blessing each and every one of your staff would be to us. As my husband said in his speech, each and every one of you helped our son. And the sacrifices you make in this challenging career couldn’t be rewarded with more gratitude. Thank you, and please know how important you are to parents hundreds of miles away who never stop worrying, wondering, and hoping for their children in your hands.
We are looking forward to the alum reunion down the road. And we wish all the success in the world to all of you at Cherry Gulch.
- Mother of Student
“I feel that my voice was really heard at Cherry Gulch.”
Dear Cherry Gulch,
Thank you for offering me a place in your program. Cherry Gulch really helped me deal with my problems and even do more. For instance, I am very far ahead of many of my peers at home in areas such as decision making and managing emotions. I enjoyed the time I spent at Cherry Gulch and learned very much. I feel that my voice was really heard at Cherry Gulch and my suggestions were taken into consideration. This is really important because it helps create a healthy environment where everyone is happy. Cherry Gulch has been my home for seven months and it will continue to be my home in my heart. I will always remember the friendships I made and the fun experiences I had. I hope that there will be an alumni event for Cherry Gulch graduates; this would be an awesome way to keep in touch and remember all of our experiences. Thank you again for all that you have done.
- Former Student
“He reports using the coping skills acquired at Cherry Gulch.”
Dillon’s transition has been very positive! He has adjusted nicely at school. He is staying on top of all his school work, and is socially satisfied and engaged in therapy. He reports using the coping skills acquired at Cherry Gulch and has had to resort to them less as time goes on. Dillon is aware of the advantages he has having been at Cherry Gulch and asked as a gift for his birthday a trip to Cherry Gulch, to go see his friends’ graduation. He really seems to be using what he has learned and continues to grow positively.
Julie, MA, LPC (Therapist)
“Thank you for restoring our faith in our son, our family, our home.”
...A year ago, we lacked hope…not knowing if our son could ever overcome this troubled path we were on…now we know…thanks to Cherry Gulch and all the hard work Scott has done.
Thank you for restoring our faith in our son, our family, our home. Thanks for giving Scott the life he deserves….the one he has worked so hard to reclaim. Thank you!
- Mother of Student
“Today I give thanks to God for the gift of hope… Cherry Gulch.”
Thank you for sharing your afternoon with our family.
The boys of CG are here for a variety of reasons…. but within each boy, there is one common thread…life at home was NOT working…and it was time for change, REAL CHANGE!
Today I give thanks to God for the gift of hope… Cherry Gulch.
Today I give thanks to the boys of CG.
“Thank you for your hard work and dedication to my son.”
To all the wonderful staff at Cherry Gulch,
I want to thank every one of you for your hard work and dedication to my son James and all the boys and families at Cherry Gulch. I was thoroughly touched by the dedication, professionalism, and kindness shown to myself and everyone else during the parent weekend. I arrived searching for confirmation that I was doing the right thing for my family and son by sending him to Cherry Gulch. I received that confirmation abundantly throughout the weekend. I left with a renewed sense of purpose and hope. I appreciated all the thought, time, and energy it took all of you to provide a wonderful weekend for the families. I want to thank you all for everything from the great food and fresh flowers on the tables to the parent therapy and interviews with staff, to the way staff members made sure I wouldn’t get lost on the way to tubing and others spent time helping James work off stocks to have that chance. Thank you for your encouraging comments about our son and for your honesty about him. It was wonderful to see staff of all degrees take time out to have fun with the boys on Sat. afternoon. You are all top notch! Thank you.
- Mother of Student
“Thank you for exceeding our expectations.”
Dear Cherry Gulch,
Our son has been home for 6 months since completing Cherry Gulch. As you will recall, you and we took a chance on each other at that time – our son was your first student and Cherry Gulch was opening for the first time. We have had the opportunity to watch the development of the facilities, the curriculum, the student body, and the staff from the beginning. Our son was also embarking on a journey of new experiences and challenges. It was very hard not to have him at home but, I can honestly say he has become an amazing young man and I am sure his success is due in very large part to his stay with you. He is now back to grade appropriate academic work. He studies 1 – 2 hours a day outside of school – a mental discipline I never thought we would see – and is making good grades. Your assistance was very much appreciated in finding the right scholastic environment following CG, and I am confident he will be successful in a mainstream upper school beginning with 9th grade next year. His love of horses, to which he was introduced at Cherry Gulch, continues to this day – he rides and is learning to train horses every weekend. His manners are wonderful – I often receive compliments on his character, sensitivity and consideration. As you know, this was an important area of work for him, and the lessons have stuck with him. He truly understands the need to be empathetic, supportive and responsible to oneself, one’s family and friends, and one’ community. By the way, he is looking forward to the alumni weekend you mentioned; he remains in contact and communicates with his good friends from CG. In any case, I will keep you informed of his progress, but I wanted to write and thank you for exceeding our expectations and wish you the best of luck as you help other kids reach their potential.
- Father of Student
“We would still be falling into the same holes and staying stuck in them without Cherry Gulch.”
We would still be falling into the same holes and staying stuck in them without Cherry Gulch. We did not know that how we were parenting continued to get us into holes and keep us stuck there. Now we have the tools to try and avoid "falling in", but when we do, we have tools that can help us get out. This is not just a program for our struggling child, but a program for the family. Embrace the process it makes the journey better.
- Greg and Sandy R.
“You helped me grow and mature and start living.”
Dear Cherry Gulch,
I want to thank you for everything you have done for me and my family. It must have been the work of God for you to have come into my life while I was going through some hard times. You helped me grow and mature and start living the life God wanted me to live. I wish you nothing but the best for you at Cherry Gulch."
- Former Student