Former student from Texas at Sorenson's Ranch School

This testimony was found on Topix. All rights goes to the original author

I'm still struggling to reverse the effects that Sorenson's Ranch School had on me. I've been suffering from PTSD ever since I left.

I've always been very comfortable with my sexuality, but when I went to Sorenson's I was treated with the up-most disrespect from the entirely Mormon staff. The program already abuses the children there, but if you were an out homosexual, you got twice the negative treatment. I still have chunks of gravel underneath my skin from when my face was rubbed into the ground by an over-weight staff member for writing a harmless letter to a girl. It was impossible to work the level system there if you were gay, because every time you were alone with another student for even one minute, you got demoted to level 1 for 'Questionable Situations'. They pulled me out of school and sat me in a field or in a room all by myself because apparently I was going to ravage any student that got close to me. I spent the majority of the time I was there by myself, either alone in a field or staring at a wall, with nothing but my own thoughts to amuse me. After a while it started to have an extremely negative effect on my still-developing brain.

And I assure any parent who feels like sending their child there that your kid is going to stay there longer than necessary, because all they want is your money. They're going to keep telling you that your child needs more work, more attention from them. When really all that child truly wants and needs is more attention from you as a parent.


The facility started as a summer camp called Koos Kamp back in 1959. It moved into the Troubled Teen Industry due to the money in the early 1980's.

Sources:

• The original testimony found on Topix.com
• Sorenson Ranch School (Fornits Home for Wayward Web Fora)

"taken-penguin" at Sorenson's Ranch School

This testimony was found on Topix. All rights goes to the original author known as taken-penguin

now this place was HELL. I could write a whole book on this one. when she first got there they searched her, they searched her things, and took away most of it. only t shirts, no solid black blue or red. only blue jeans. the girls had to grow out their hair. the boys had to have their heads shaved. the girls stayed in cabins. there were 4 of them. at night the staff would check on the kids to make sure they didn't run of. the nearest town was 70 miles well so they said and they were in the mountains . a good comparison is the movie Holes. if you havent seen it you should then compare it to this place .mame got in trouble really fast. she had to hike in the snow with just vans, blue jeans, and a thin jacket. she had to eat outside,most of the time she was alone. she tried to run off and they tackled her. they restrained her. this means they push the palm to your arm bending the wrist, laying face down in the ground. this hurt so badly that it would make people scream, even the boys. when there were no cameras and the kids talked back, they would hit them,they would call them names that no one deserves to be called. they shoved them and the kids always ended up on their stomachs. then there was mountain camp. 3 girls two staff. they slept in their own tent. they were not allowed to even look at each other. the staff made them walk in a circle around their tent for hours. would have to haul logs and when they went to sleep the kids had to sleep in their undergarments. it lasted for a week. they couldn't shower, no toothbrush, no change of cloths.

they would shove them into the ground. they had to shovel horse shit and it was its worst when it rained and they made them wear flip flops. another thing they would do is make them pick rocks in the snow for no logical reason. they would have to wake up at 5am, walk back and forth in a straight line while the staff sat in a warm room and watched them. it was always cold. hardly ever hot. the kids would get breakfast at 7am, had to eat outside then walk up this huge hill that lasts 10 miles. they were not allowed to stop until 12 and eat their lunch, bread two slices of packaged meat and a water bottle. this was a group hike. they would walk in a line as a van follows them by their side. they got to go to sleep at 11pm, then the next day it would happen again. since the kids were not allowed to talk, they sang, the vans windows were up so the staff just thought they were singing, but they would be singing their sentences, singing their stories. Mame had a best friend, her name was __. she dresses transgender.l, dressed like a guy. when she came to the Hell they took away her baggie jeans her t shirts and replaced them with skinny jeans. it was humiliating. Mame loved her and still does even though she now lives in new jersey. Mame still hears her screams in her nightmares, the screams and cries of telling the staff to stop hurting her. mame would wake up sometimes with the thought of,“i don't want to hike in the cold”, but then she remember she isn't there anymore.

The facility started as a summer camp called Koos Kamp back in 1959. It moved into the Troubled Teen Industry due to the money in the early 1980's.

Sources:

• The original testimony found on Topix.com
• Sorenson Ranch School (Fornits Home for Wayward Web Fora)

Reagan King at Sorenson's Ranch School

This testimony was found on Topix. All rights goes to the original author Reagan King

This place is a hell hole. Its discusting and dirty. Constantly dead flies and hair in food. Not to mention sometimes the milk was really bad and they still served it.

Punishment is putting you in a orange jumpsuit and sitting u on a bucket in a feild from dawn to night time with no sunscreen and the sun blazing your skin and when u get not only burnt but completly blistered all over the face thry pile on more hrs for "self harm" they also do workouts manditory for level one as punishment they r hrs long and painful they r very harsh during them a kid had a asthma attack and they refused to get his inhaler then proceeded to restrain him and break his arm.the school is retarded easy I got my math credits mainly by doing extra credit of sudoku puzzles everyweek which was accepted as if it were mayh work.oyeh and a nother form of punishment is instead of goin to school u got to shovel horse shit all day.not to mention some staff were havin sex with some students and some were sneaking stuff in as well.and also the crazy amount of meds they will perscribe and it says clearly on the bottle do not crush but they would crush.neway I could go on and on but hopefully this makes ppl realize that the students who went here I can comfortably say were all abused in some way.and that should not be takin lightly!

The facility started as a summer camp called Koos Kamp back in 1959. It moved into the Troubled Teen Industry due to the money in the early 1980's.


Sources:

• The original testimony found on Topix.com
• Sorenson Ranch School (Fornits Home for Wayward Web Fora)

Josh at Sorenson's Ranch School

This testimony was found on Topix. All rights goes to the original author known as Josh

Sorenson's ranch kept me in Solitary Confinement (they call it "Isolation") for 10 days straight, yes, 10 days, straight, for something that I didn't even do. They sexually abuse children, and break bones during "restraining" (getting your ass kicked). I saw a kids arm broken by the staff member during a restraint, and I also witnessed a staff member taking naked pictures of a 15 year old boy, right in front of me. The sheriff's came and investigated the incident and the child was sent home. Also, there is peer to peer sexual abuse that goes on, just like in prison. Students (age 15-17) would dump piss on other students when they were taking a shower and they would sexually assault the weaker students. The staff lie to parents during phone calls with there kids, and the kids are not allowed to have uncensored phone calls, for fear that the truth about what is going on at the school would come out.

I left this place with PTSD, no self esteem, and serious trust issues with people. Luckily I had the common sense to join the Air Force, which is the ONLY reason why I am where I am in life. Sorenson's ranch will bully, manipulate and brainwash you, as a parent, and brainwash your kid.

The facility started as a summer camp called Koos Kamp back in 1959. It moved into the Troubled Teen Industry due to the money in the early 1980's.

Sources:

• The original testimony found on Topix.com
• Sorenson Ranch School (Fornits Home for Wayward Web Fora)

Various testimonies from Sorenson's Ranch School

These testimonies were found on Topix. All rights goes to the original authors

JHJ wrote:

They will make you believe things that arnt true, they are masters at convincing parents that all is well. I spent a year at the ranch back in 05 and it was a horrible experience. No child deserves that. I am still trying to overcome what it did to me. DO NOT BELIEVE A WORD THEY SAY. Get your child out immediately. Even if your child is very troubled that place will not help him. Find another route. My parents felt the same way you did and were very happy with it until they realized what was really going on and yanked me out. Please get your child out. Dont trust a word of what they say. Nothing is like it seems there

Philly1341 wrote:

I was here for 2 years and I vividly remember how violent and corrupt it was. The is no "Treatment" here, everything is forced, there are no rights here, when you ask about your rights they'll tell you your parent's signed them away for you. I received a Broken wrist because I swore at one of the staff, on another occasion I Received injuries on my ankle for refusing to hike the parking lot, still on another I was "restrained" a lot of times (meaning I got slammed by more than one staff member and got the shit kicked out of me) I left here with more problems then when I went in and the psychological toll that it had on me when I was 14 was High! it is extremely unprofessional and has a long record of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse. If you have a child here take them out IMMEDIATELY! they'll thank you later and won't be angry at you for years like I was at my parents. there are other options, this one doesn't work. Trust me.

wmnc wrote:

I attended SRS school back in 1989-1990. To this day I suffer from PTSD. My PTSD started when I attended there as I was a kid who went there to get help with my ADD/ADHD. There was an assortment of kids there from all back grounds and learning issues. The staff abused me in every way almost daily for the entire year I was there. To all the parents who are considering sending your kids there please do not. Please find another place and option and do your kid a favor and give them the best possible chance in life and in school. I wish I could attach a jpeg. file of the pictures of all the scars on my body to show proof what they did to me. It amazes me to this day how they have been able to stay open with all the abuse.

The facility started as a summer camp called Koos Kamp back in 1959. It moved into the Troubled Teen Industry due to the money in the early 1980's.

Sources:

• The original testimonies found on Topix.com
• Sorenson Ranch School (Fornits Home for Wayward Web Fora)

dbs at Sorenson's Ranch School

This testimony was found on Topix. All rights goes to the original author known as dbs

I am a former student of Sorenson's Ranch School and current teacher. As a human and a teacher, I would urge parents to seek other options for your child.

In full disclosure I will specify that I attended this school in the early 90's. In most cases, I would be inclined to believe that a bad situation could be corrected in 20 years. However, in the case of this school, I am reluctant to imagine much change for two reasons.

1. The culture of wrongdoing by staff was so pervasive, and
2. The school exists in a town where everyone is blood relation and they all work at the school.

The fact that their Facebook page seems to be a place for happy feedback of students does not convince me either. The omissions and whitewashing of information to parents was honed to an art form even at the time that I attended. I can only imagine that their skills at hiding any negative feedback about the program have only increased over the years. Bottom line - if you just want to treat your child like a problem and pay someone else to deal with it, send them to Sorenson's today.

If you care about your child's future, look into other options. PLEASE.

The facility started as a summer camp called Koos Kamp back in 1959. It moved into the Troubled Teen Industry due to the money in the early 1980's.


Sources:

• The original testimony found on Topix.com
• Sorenson Ranch School (Fornits Home for Wayward Web Fora)

Eric at Anchor Academy

This testimony was found on Topix.com. All rights goes to the original author Eric Marchant

Jordan, is your last name Crawford. Well, i most certainly agree that the degree of punishment endured at Anchor Academy by many of the students was boader line auztwhich tourture tactics. They system eventully turns many of the the students into the same kind of monster. When a student "gets saved" and works their way to a promotion ( crew leader , dorm leader ), they become the next generation of born again sadists. The cycle turns victims into victimizers. I know from exprience the horrors of red shirt.

I also served as a crew leader in the program, and treated many new students with the same inhumane disrespect i also encountered as a new student. It shows how deranged leadership and authority can feed off of this cycle, Hitler convinced a nation that the hebrew people deserved the holocost and he was able make them actively participate. It shows how primitive man can be. No student was ever killed at Anchor Academy and I am a happily married man with children today. So dont interpret this post as a complaint, rather let it serve as insight from an experienced alumni of Anchor Academy. I respect all opinions, but i only ponder opinions that are resonable. So someone like John, who posted a comment in defense of the sick practices of this program, in my opinion, has never matured mentally. I hope he is not a father. I feel mixed emotions when i think back in tim to those years. I feel regret for any harm i caused anyone as an active goon for bro Dennis, i feel scarred by those black days and nights on red shirt, and i feel a fondness for many of the students i befreinded during those years.

Sources:

• The original testimony on Topix.com
• Factsheet about the Academy (Fornits Wiki)

UGH at Anchor Academy

This testimony was found on Topix.com. All rights goes to the original author known as UGH

This place was hell. Anyone who reads this will know who I am, but I don't really care. I've been out of that place for eight years and I still have nightmares of being sent back - I'm in my mid-twenties now. That place was like a soul-sucking leech pit. And it wasn't just any one person's fault - you throw some misguided teens, adults and fanatical religious types into a room together and you're going to get some 'Lord of the Flies' shit without a doubt.
l have severe social anxiety, physical mobility issues (my back hurts constantly) and it is because of the near constant abuse I faced in this place. I'll admit a lot of it was my own doing - but then again, what fourteen year old kid doesn't buck up at authority? And I wasn't sent there for drugs or because I was in trouble with the law - I've never been in legal trouble in my life. I was sent there because my grandparents couldn't get me to go outside and play and I was obese; because I was rebellious to my mother who has a long history of drug abuse, the which had already taken it's toll on me. In short, I was sent there because my family didn't have room for me anymore.
Out of the frying pan and into the fire.

Not to mention I'm gay as a three-dollar-bill - throw a confused, terrified fag into a group of christian teenage boys and see how well he does. I was the fish in the barrel for most guys at that place, though a lot proved to be decent and kind.

The reality of it is, abuse aside, if you're looking for a program to stick your unwanted child just do the kid a favor and emancipate his ass. Trust me, he's better off without you anyways. As far as those parents/families that actually care for their kids and want to help them, try reaching out and talking to them - jeez. Stop looking for quick-fix-it programs where you ship your kids away like busted blenders and get back the newest, shiniest model. It doesn't work. Your kids are people, not freaking hardware to be replaced and reprogrammed when you don't like their life choices. Believe me, if they're going to get into trouble, sending them to a program isn't going to do anything but delay the inevitable.

Get off your lazy asses and love your damn kids - stop expecting others to do it for you because you're crappy parents.


Sources:

• The original testimony on Topix.com
• Factsheet about the Academy (Fornits Wiki)

Philly1341 at Sorenson's Ranch School

This testimony was found on Topix. All rights goes to the original author known as Philly1341

I was here for 2 years and I vividly remember how violent and corrupt it was. The is no "Treatment" here, everything is forced, there are no rights here, when you ask about your rights they'll tell you your parent's signed them away for you. I received a Broken wrist because I swore at one of the staff, on another occasion I Received injuries on my ankle for refusing to hike the parking lot, still on another I was "restrained" a lot of times (meaning I got slammed by more than one staff member and got the shit kicked out of me) I left here with more problems then when I went in and the psychological toll that it had on me when I was 14 was High! it is extremely unprofessional and has a long record of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse. If you have a child here take them out IMMEDIATELY! they'll thank you later and won't be angry at you for years like I was at my parents. there are other options, this one doesn't work. Trust me.

The facility started as a summer camp called Koos Kamp back in 1959. It moved into the Troubled Teen Industry due to the money in the early 1980's.

Sources:

• The original testimony found on Topix.com
• Sorenson Ranch School (Fornits Home for Wayward Web Fora)

A stay at Heartland Christian Academy (continued)

This addictional statement was made on Topix.com. All rights goes to the original author

I mean, seriously, who pulls aside people that move into their little "private property" community and say things like:

"So yeah...I'm doing this great thing by helping all these really screwed up kids, women, and men. Our programs are great and really help people get their lives in order and get over their addictions and stuff. But don't talk to the program people, ok? They have issues and stuff. They say they want our help, and maybe they do, but a lot of them just want to keep pretending to be the victim so they never have to deal with their problems. So just keep that in mind."

Cuz that sure seems to be the speech they might get after moving to Heartland. I mean, there are families who avoid "program people" like the plague, won't let any of them near the children, won't speak to them, etc. Some even have the audacity to say to the program people that we need to stop complaining about everything and start appreciating all the blessings heartland is giving us. That we need to stop be so "ungrateful" for "everything Heartland is doing for you!"

Since they are naive, we can forgive them their cruel words. Only those who have been through the program will ever truly understand what it does to a person, and the flaws in the system, and the favoritism, and the holier-than-thou staff that beats down on you. Unless you are an inherently good person, you can't understand without having been through it. But there were a handful of them there, like the Shorts, the Palmers, the Nickersons, the Whites, the Metzgers the Powells, the Newlands, and the Kippings. They all genuinely care about the kids in the program and want to help them learn, heal, and grow. They are wonderful people who will always be in my favorite memories. I hope they continue to do the Host Parent nights every week and that these families continue to participate, because spending time with them, even for a few hours once a week, made life at Heartland infinitely better.

The weeks I spent at the Palmers playing uno and making dinner together made my senior year tons of fun. The games of hide-and-seek with the Nickerson/White kids before church and the times we goofed off during class activities/nonacademic days were always hilarious. The times Mrs. Kipping brought us to her house after school to make delicious cookies was always relaxing. The times Mama Powell interrupted our Life Studies class to go to her house and bake those perfect mini bananabread loaves and listen to hear stories always cheered me up on a bad day. Every afternoon spent working with Mrs. Metzger and the kids was so much fun, so eventful. Every class with Coach Short going on rabbit trails and telling stories and making us laugh makes me smile. I will never forget these great memories as long as I live.

But the people who treat the "program people" like the plague because they don't know better, you really have to wonder how that came to be. What do Charlie and Laurie tell them about us to get them to fear and loathe us? What do the staff and leadership say about us that makes us seem so terrible? And how can you not find it terribly suspicious when someone says that you shouldn't interact with all the program people, if you're a good Christian person who wants to help? I mean, that's like saying,"No, no, let ME handle it, because only I can fix them. Even though you mean well, you shouldn't try to help. They might try to drag you down. Let me take care of this, and please, just don't interfere." Isn that not toally screaming "HEY LOOK- NO CHECKS AND BALANCES!!"

They can't be held responsible for any wrongdoings if they insist that everyone making claims of said wrongdoings is totally crazy or out for attention, can they? If the people who accuse them of abuse, or unkindness, or unfairness are all mental, or just "trying to play the victim" then of course they don't have to ever admit to any wrongs, and then they never have to fix anything. They can do anything they please- that is BAD.

Sources:

• The original statement on Topix.com
• Factsheet about the facility (Fornits Wiki)

A stay at Heartland Christian Academy

This statement was made on Topix.com. All rights goes to the orignal author

For those who are insisting that this school is a good idea, a loving and Christian place, and that the problem is all with the "horrible, messed up children" not being "appreciative of the chance they're given" and other such crap that people spout-- SHUT UP!! I lived there in the youth program for over 2 years, and while there are a few wonderful Christian families, the majority of the leadership is all stuck up, holier-than-thou fakes.

Before going to Heartland, I was a A-B only student, a good kid, my hobbies were drawing and reading, and I had never had any interest in drugs or alcohol. But I did suffer from some serious depression after major bullying in jr high, and my parents thought that this place could help me get better.

Wanting to take me off my meds and surround me with loving Christian people was a great idea--if only that had been the case. Unfortunately, a lot of the staff there doesn't really care about the kids. I've heard female staff tell the girls "If your parents cared about you, they'd have taken you out by now!" and "you wouldn't be here if you didn't have problems!" and other such demeaning, horrible things. It's not a very encouraging environment, to say the least. There are, of course, a handful of very sweet people who really want to help the girls, but there's only so much they can do without getting in trouble.

Want to know what's funny? I was there when Maiah's mom took her out of the program. I remember that. We were very happy that someone had parents who cared enough to listen to our pleas. When my friends tried to save up money and start a website to get me out of heartland, I was treated like a criminal for 2 weeks. They took away my part-time job (where I had been working for a year) and my teacher's aid position which I had been doing for 5 months. They interrogated me and acted as if I had done something horrible, even though all I had said on my friends' site was "please pray for the leadership cuz they need help."

Finally, before they kicked me out, here are some of the things Charlie, the founder, and his wife, Laurie, had to say to me about me: "Without Heartland, you would not have the grades you have! You would probably be dead, or on drugs, or in jail, or pregnant!" "You don't deserve the mission's trip we sent you on! you deceived the other girls into thinking you're a good example, a Christian, but you're not! the devil masquerades as an angel of light!" "you started an anime cult in my school!" (because i drew pictures for girls? because i liked to design outfits? at one point they confiscated a year's worth of sketches and threw them away, without asking at all!) Does this sound like someone who loves children and wants to help hurting teens? Does this sound like someone who can admit their wrongs and try to improve for the better of everyone? NO, it sounds like a selfish person who insists that they are doing God's work: "Look what I'VE done for God!"

At that moment, I knew that they did not love the kids in the program or make any point of getting to know them. They did not care about us or want us to be happy; they wanted to brag about what GREAT THINGS they were doing FOR GOD, using God as an excuse to do what they wanted. And you know, i'm a fairly strong person emotionally, so I really didn't care that they said these kinds of things to me. I mean, it hurts a little, when you think someone is a Godly person and cares about you, then turns around and acts like this.

But you wanna know what really hurt? Knowing that I was leaving behind some very vulnerable girls, as young as 12, in the hands of such people. Girls who had messed up family lives, girls who's step-mothers had forced their fathers to send them away(at least 2), girls who had been adopted from Russia and then abandoned here in the middle of a cornfield, never visited more than once or twice a year (I knew 3 for sure). The sad part is that we really weren't the horrible insane druggies they portray at all

Sources:

• The original statement on Topix.com
• Factsheet of the facility (Fornits Wiki)

one more who was abused at Heartland Christian Academy (From Topix)

I'll tell you some of my expierence. I was sent there because i was about to out my mom the family when i arriveed i was told not to (jump out of the car) because there were men in the woods waiting. this was my second boarding school and i had been in juvi and in child servicesbefore, and jail after. Heartland was hell in 2 yrs i was able to go to the mall once which isnt the worse but i was abandoned by my parent so i had no income no way to get clothes and such however most of my supplies were takin care of by heartland of debowed from other guys sorry bros i just had some needslol. for all who dont know debowed would be stolen. i wasnt allowed to get a job untill i was "saved" which then came the fake it to make it. it was not hell every day but close. i did get my money when i left sorry some of yall didnt. I remember getting beat so bad i could sit, i remember when they went to handswats on top of ass beatings. I remember having to do hours of pt's after school for looking at chicks and failing tests because i didnt understand the work and then going back to the dorm to get swats.i did deserve some swats and maybe more but most of the time they were unjustified. I remember getting 10 swatson the arse than 10 on each hand. id seen a kid getting swatted so hard he went over a chair. the paddle used was 2 inches thick and about a foot long minus the handle i believe. i remember there being hours of quiet time many kids punished for nothing. the mental abuse was the worse. everything we did was wrong as an adult i know that swats arent abuse but the way they gave them in large numbers was i remember after school up to 25 boys in line for swats and this was every school day. getting swatted for false accusations and because a certain staff had it out for me. i rememer favortism was horrible there was a top click and they got pretty much whatever they wanted within the limits, we did go to the park everyonce in while but very few of us i remember swimming in the lake they had, there were great times, and i made some amazing friends that we stll talk this is a true testimony, there was good times, sometimes a fair and truly well hearted staff would get us out a day would usually go ...up early for at least 30 mins of pts then in for breakfast off to school then back to the dorm then quiet time then dinner then a couple of hours of "free time" to be in the halls then some sort of church then bed time swats were unjust they were not meant for correction grown men would put everything they had into the swing and one that i know of would get a running start and 1 would do a hop skip and a jump into the swing. one would toss the paddle into the air catch it to show his talent and then swat ya. the hand paddle was 6 inches long half inch thck rubber bout 2 inches wide and would be swung from the 12 oclock position to the 3oclock position coming from a man i rememeber leaving the office with welts on my purple palms i had my wisdom teeth pulled all 4 of them got back to the dorm and they wouldnt give me my pain medication cause it had codene in it the teachers have no degrees when i came they were not allowed to work us n the cow shit but i remember countless hours in the field blazing hot sun 12 hrs and only 1 small cup of water i saw one child got thrown into dirt and humiliated by the staff and had to finish 4 hours of labor covered in mud from head to toe we were pushed constantly to the point of tears than past that to degredation and then when we flipped out swated you could sneak notes to girls but very rarely and then they made it to where we only saw them at church ive seen many called out in the middle of the church and humiliated publically.i remember being told my mom ddnt love me which was true for me but for others was dead wrong. when i left i was told i would fail and be dead in 5 yrs its been 8 didnt happen and i am very succesful. I did get divorced I feel mostly due to Heartland cause it made me a control freak.

Brenda McNatt-Hausermann at Heartland Christian Academy (From:Topix)

This testimony was found on Topix december 2012. All rights goes to the originally author Heartland Christian Academy:

WOW....is the only thing that comes to mind. I lived at Heartland for 3 years and left as soon as I could. I left 3 weeks before the "raid." I have since been contacted and gave a deposition that was hours long a couple years ago. It's crazy to think that just 10 years ago as I was leaving I was as brainwashed as the next Heartlander. I had been sucked into the false reality that Sharpe and his empire have created. It is a total US vs. THEM mentality. "US" being Heartland and "THEM" being the rest of the sinning world. I truly believed that the ABUSE that was taking place was just discipline. I entered the "program" at a very impressionable age and was able to be "programmed." Sermon after sermon declared "they didn't want you" and "your parents are just as bad, if not worse than you." Many times Charlie declared "I tell children all the time 'it's not you that's the problem it's your parents'." This is how it begins for the children. Yes, children do work and in my experience were forced to work. Yes, underage boys worked at the dairy with no pay. Guess you can't call it child labor if they are not getting paid.

My original houseparents were very loving and forgiving. They actually taught me what it was like to be in a healthy family and protected us as much as they could from the extremists that surrounded us.

I was one of the few who made it through the program without receiving swats. I knew the right things to do and say to keep myself out of trouble and was sort of "paraded around" if you will to different conferences for Charlie's insurance company in order to give my testimony and/or sing for the different events. After all, I had been "reformed." I was one of the poster kids so to speak. I remember feeling sorry for all those who were not "chosen." Many times I pondered what the difference was between the girl in the green jumpsuit for punishment and myself. It was heartbreaking to hear the swats mercilessly doled out for seemingly harmless infractions and by "staff" that was only a few years senior of the "child" getting swats. None of which were trained professionals by any "worldy" standards because when you own the town you can make the rules. When you have a court order declaring the state must not interfere well...Swat away. Abuse...just report it to the on-call physician. He lives and works at Heartland as well. Maybe just tell the local sheriff who also lives and works at Heartland.

A degree??? What is that, around here we just say a prayer and appoint the educators...Don't get me started on the unaccredited Bible College where Heartland graduates typically go to further their fake education. It's sad when they leave only to realize they are not qualified to do anything and their education doesn't count unless your career goals involve living and working at Heartland for the rest of your life.

The big shocker came to me when I was confronted by a lawyer who asked me to testify on the states behalf. For some reason it was rumored that Heartland took this as a personal blow. All I did was tell the truth. I had no reason to lie and still don't. The things that happened were wrong. Funny how easily Staff wanted to hold everyone else so accountable but when it came time to confess and repent their paper shredder did all of the confessing and repenting for them. What incident reports????

And yes....You know who you are, all of you! Do you think your "community" would support you if they really knew how corrupt your hearts were? Do you really think they would be on forums such as this singing YOUR praises??

We were always taught about listening to our conscience and mine screamed loud and clear as I was making my exxodus "Run as far away from this place as you can!"

Sources:

• The originally testimony from Topix
• Factsheet about the facility (Fornits Wiki)

Jake at Heartland Christian Academy (From:Topix)

This testimony was found on Topix. All rights goes to the originally author Jake:

At age 12 I was sent to heartland after my mother had died in a drug deal and my father had remarried. I had lots of anger issues and was very disrespectful. At the time I was the oldest of 5 kids in my household and my step mother could not handle my attitude any longer. I hated her for coming into my fathers life and taking the place of the mother that I had lost. I was upset at the world, angry at every turn and needed help. My father gave in to my step mothers wishes and I was sent thousands of miles away from anything I knew to enter into the program.

At the age of 12 I was the youngest kid in the program. I was subjected to 15, 16 and 17 year old kids that were placed in the program for a great deal worse offenses that I had ever fathomed possible. I was there when we lived out by the dairy and although we were not forced to work there I felt that every day I was in the program was another day in hell. I was allowed one 10 minute phone call a week to my parents which was usually spent crying and begging them to let me come home. I was broken by how strict the staff was and and belittled I was made to feel as a young kid. I remember being made to eat slop and throwing it up and being swatted for not being able to hold it down. Looking back as a 23 year old man, this was absolutely ridiculous and I wished everyday that someone would save me from the torture of the life I lived in this dorm.

At the time swats were given out without any sighning of paperwork or reason. I remember doing PT with all the guys and not being able to keep up with the pace of the older kids and being swatted everytime I could not complete push ups of leg lifts. They would pray for me right before they would swat you. I look back and just cannot understand how they would be able to scew Gods will to that extent.

We were not allowed to speak with the opposite sex a nor have any contact with kids not in the program unless at school. Everything was very seperated from the rest of the facility. I remember on numerous occasions being yelled and screamed at by staff members because of the behavior of other kids in the program. I always felt I had to be aware of my surroundings and other kids as well. It was no way to live. After three monthes of this my father came and got me after all the begging I did.

In just one short year my father sent me back and told me I was staying until I graduated. A new facility and new additions to the school had been made since I had left. I was now 14 and starting my freshmen year. A new policy had been implemented for swats and I was to sign my name on a dotted line every time I recieved swats stating I had not been abused. I spent a year in the program the second time around. Although I was older it was not any easier. The same situations that had caused me to hate my life were still there. Lying staff members. Physical restraint when you decided you didnt deserve swats, 10 minute phone calls, the beds in the new facility were concrete as well as steel mesh shelves with absolutely zero privacy. The windows were blured out so you could not see outside. Flourecent lighting 24/7 which caused headaces all the time. I always felt that i was being punished for everyone elses faults. The situations I found myself getting in trouble for were very minor and one time I was accused of seeing a girl in school and was swatted the maximum amount on the rear as well the hands, all my clothing was taken and I was given an orange jumpsuit to wear for an extended period of time. Not only had I not commited the offense, I was not ever given an opportunity to prove myself. The staff members were corrupt liars who would do anyting to cover themselves.

Heartland taught me alot of things but nothing had to do with what they did for me. It was what I learned as a young man all by myself having to fend for my own life in a situation I had no control over. Think very long and hard before sending your children there!

Sources:

• The originally testimony from Topix
• Factsheet about the facility (Fornits Wiki)

Anonymous at Heartland Christian Academy (From:Topix)

This testimony was found on Topix in December 2012. All rights goes to the originally author who wants to remain anonymous:

This is an absolutely horrible place. I spent a year there with my entire family back in 2000. It was the worst experience of my life. The staff do not care about you a all. My parents originally sent my sister there because she was being rebellious and they didn't know how to handle her. They should have received counseling or something, anything but send her/us there. We ended up staying with her and they split our entire family us, saying we all needed help. It was heart breaking. My brothers were all split up and sent to live with a family, who physically abused them, but they were too afraid to talk about it. And my sisters and I were slit up as well. My parents were aso separated into different recovery programs, which my parents didn't need to recovery from anything. My parents or any of us children, including my sister had done alcohol or drugs ever. My parents needed guidance on how to deal with my sister, not on how to recovery.

I hate this place, with all my heart, and I am a Christ follower.This place does not exude Christ's love, instead it follows the philosphy of continual punishment. The school was not a good experience either. They separate the guys and girls in the classroom and you're not allowed to talk to each other or have any interactions with each other either in school or out of school. It's basically a prison.

We ended up leaving when another family who had once been there helped us to realize the evil therein. I think my parents were brainwashed into thinking they had all these problems which is why they stayed. I didn't find out what happenned to my brothers until years later. My little sister who was about 5 at the time, would pee in the bed sometimes, which I believe is a symptom of the familial split, and the director of our girl's home would give her cold showers in the morning, with her clothes on as punishment. That happenned a lot.

I cry as I think about the abusive way these people treated individuals there. I can't believe any parent would resort to this. Another reviewer is right, there were a lot of kids I knew who had been adopted from Russia and then just left there, as if it wasn't their responsibility to raise their own children. This place harms families and does not promote recovery. I could go on an on about this place, but it still hurts me to talk about it.

Please do not send your children here. Instead, find a marriage and family therapist and invest in your relationships instead of throwing them and their problems away as if you can't handle it. Thankfully everyone in my family turned out alright after this experience. All of us kids are successful adults with great careers.

I am currently a licensed counselor and I know that what happenned there is wrong. The Bible clearly says that parents are to train their children up in the way they should go so that when they are older, they will not depart from it. Therefore, parenting is the parent's responsibility and with God's help you can succeed. No child/teen is beyond help, and definitely does not deserve to go here.

Sources:

• The originally testimony from Topix
• Factsheet about the facility (Fornits Wiki)