Leaving the past behind, building a future

Like many others, Darrell first arrived at Rolling Stone Group Home angry, overwhelmed and feeling very alone.  At 15, Darrell was staying with his aunt after the death of his grandmother.  His mother had left to pursue her drug addiction.

After an argument with his aunt, he was sent to Rolling Stone. “I was pretty upset that I was there … it was just so much on me,” he said. He admitted he had a screwdriver in his bag and thought about “doing some harmful things.

 Rolling Stone lead youth worker Ron Payne took the screwdriver and convinced him it was a bad idea. Payne told him, “You can’t let the past keep you standing in one spot,” Darrell recalled. “You got to keep moving forward.”

 Darrell’s story is similar to most of the kids who come to Rolling Stone, Payne said. “They feel that they are alone,”  he said. “We try to let them know we are a family, and we are there for them.”

Since leaving, Darrell keeps in touch with the Rolling Stone staff and checks in often. “Darrell is basically like a son to me. We grew that bond.” Payne said.

 Darrell turned 18 in May and has graduated from high school. He completed nine months of training in weatherization and is now working as a weatherization technician as well as a second job at a bank. “I’m doing pretty good for myself,” he said.

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