Calvin’s Fresh Start

October 21, 2026

From an outsider’s perspective, Calvin’s family seemed like any other. Though they lived in a poor neighborhood, both of Calvin’s parents had jobs. While there were plenty of kids in the neighborhood who did drugs and were involved in gangs, Calvin and his siblings weren’t among them. Nobody ever assumed things were anything but normal at their house.

But behind closed doors, it was a different story. Calvin’s parents had a volatile relationship. It didn’t help that they both regularly drank too much. They spent many nights screaming at each other. When his parents fought, Calvin and his brothers and sisters would huddle together in one of their bedrooms, terrified.

Eventually, his parents’ fights became physical. Calvin’s older sister became concerned and contacted the authorities about what was going on. It was decided that Calvin and his siblings would stay with their grandmother until his parents could provide a more stable environment for them to live in.

Calvin’s grandmother lived in another neighborhood of the city, far from where Calvin grew up. This meant changing schools, leaving behind friends, and having to learn his way around a new part of town.

The new neighborhood was much safer, and life at Calvin’s grandmother’s home was quiet and orderly. All of his siblings seemed much happier in this new situation, but Calvin had a hard time adjusting to the sudden change. He was sad, angry, and felt completely alone.

Unsure how to express his feelings, Calvin began to act out. He refused to follow any of his grandmother’s rules and began doing whatever he wanted—staying out too late, talking back, and picking fights with his siblings. At school, when he bothered to go, he got in more fights and disrupted class at every opportunity.

After several months of this, one day Calvin again found himself in the school principal’s office. In the past, the principal had chided him for his behavior and doled out an appropriate punishment. But this time, he decided to take a different approach.

He asked Calvin what was going on at home. At first, Calvin didn’t want to open up about everything he had gone through in the past year. But soon, the whole story ended up coming out.

Fortunately, Calvin’s principal knew about Mercy Home. He told Calvin that it was a place where he could make a fresh start and learn to cope with everything that had happened to him. While Calvin was initially wary of the idea, he knew that he needed to make a change in his life. Not long after, he moved in.

Though Calvin initially struggled with moving into Mercy Home, nobody at Mercy Home gave up on him. And most importantly, he never gave up on himself. Even when things got difficult, he was determined to put in the hard work to make a change in his life. Eventually, Calvin began to see progress—in his grades, in his relationships, and in his anger. Finally, he feels in control of his life and hopeful when he looks to the future—thanks to the support he received at Mercy Home.

Thank you for changing the lives of kids like Calvin! Your prayers and support make all the difference for our children.

Please note: Because we care deeply about protecting our children’s privacy, the names and certain identifying details in this story have been changed.