Heard a story on the radio about John Croyle turning down an NFL career (he played for Bryant 73 NC team) to start a boys home for abused kids. I was really impressed by him. Here's the story:
http://www.americanprofile.com/issues/2001...0010610_928.asp
The letter from the 15-year-old boy closed with these words: No one has ever given me a chance. If you give me a chance, I wont disappoint you. After reading it to his staff, John Croyle remembers his words: Bring me this boy.
A year later, that young man indeed is keeping his promise to Croyle and the staff of Big Oak Ranch near Gadsden, Ala., (pop. 41,155). He is one of 1,400 kids, ages 5-18, who, during the last 26 years, has found a chance and a hope for a real future.
An All-American 6-foot-6-inch defensive end on Paul Bear Bryants 1973 national championship team at the University of Alabama, Croyle was recruited by professional football teams but sensed that wasnt his true calling. His work at a childrens ranch in Lumberton, Miss., during his college years had revealed instead a passion for improving the lives of kids.
He sought advice from Coach Bryant and received predictably blunt advice: Forget about pro football and follow your dream. Go build your childrens home.
So in August 1974, Croyle moved to a farmhouse on 120 acres purchased with the $50,000 down payment miraculously collected within 48 hours$5,000 of his own, $15,000 from a family friend, and $30,000 from a college teammate who contributed his professional football signing bonus.
Two months later, he brought home a boy living in a railroad boxcar. Croyle hasnt looked back.
Id love to say that Im a good man, but Im not. Im just struggling like everybody else, says Croyle, an easy smile spreading across his kind face. But theres one thing I do know. I found out early what I was put on earth to do. Ive got the greatest job in the world. I get to love kids.
They come from Alabama and beyond, from dire poverty and surprising wealth. Some have been neglected; others victimized by unspeakable abuse. More than one child has been dropped off at the front gate with these parting words: You take him. I dont want him anymore. All have found a safe haven at Big Oak Ranch.
Our children have been betrayed by the mamas and daddies who were supposed to take care of them and love them and show them the way, says the man known around Big Oak Ranch as Mr. John.
Thats when Big Oak opens its big heart.
I say to all these children that, As long as I breathe, no one will ever hurt you like this again. And thats my promise, he says, his drawl growing soft. Thats what my wife and I have committed our lives to. God called us to help them pack their bags for the journey called life.
For the Croyles, its definitely a team effort. I knew what I was getting into when I married John, laughs Tee Croyle, whose dates frequently were chaperoned by the first five boys in Johns custody. If we had looked at the whole picture, we wouldve probably gone Whoa! Thats a big undertaking. But it was just piece by piece as we went along, so it wasnt so overwhelming.
A life immersed in Big Oak Ranch is all their two biological children have ever known. Daughter Reagan, 22, is studying to become a counselor. Son Brodie, 18, was a hotly recruited prep quarterback who enrolled at his fathers alma mater in January and dreams of returning to the ranch after a pro ball career.
The Vision Grows
Originally intended to serve only boys, Croyles vision expanded in 1988 when he learned of a 12-year-old girl brutally abused by her parents. He begged the court to give him custody, but because Big Oak did not have a facility for girls, his request was denied. A few months later, the youngsters father killed her.
Shelly changed my life, says Croyle, a trace of pain still evident. The girls ranch (in nearby Springville) is the fruit of the sacrifice that she made.
Today, the two ranches, which resemble subdivisions, house 90-plus kids in well-kept large brick homes with a married couple who serve as houseparents and up to eight children residing in each. Both properties have swimming pools, horses, and plenty of room to play. Its just too important that we do it right, Croyle emphasizes.
To keep on course, Croyle asks himself three questions each day: 1) What has God called us to do? 2) Am I doing it? and 3) What is the fruit of questions 1 and 2? Theyre my true north, he offers. Thats my compass every day.
As executive director, hes often required to make difficult decisions.
Last Friday I had to talk to a 17-year-old girl who is just flushing the chance that Shelly died for, he says, describing a particularly rebellious teenager.
But for every agonizing moment, there are joys that last a lifetime.
One of our girls was in the homecoming court. She was standing there with her house dad at halftime at the ballgame and he leans over and says, Im really sorry that your real dad couldnt be here. She said, He is.
It takes special people to become houseparents because, Croyle notes, children who come to Big Oak Ranch have not witnessed healthy family relationships. They dont know what its like to be tucked in to bed at night and be loved. They have not experienced the protection of a father or the love and protection of a mother, he says.
One thing thats different about Big Oak Ranch is that the staff really feel called to be here, says Keith Denton who lived at the ranch from the time he was 10 and returned as Big Oaks director of development following academic pursuits at West Point and Birmingham Southern. They really believed me. Theres no telling where I would be if it wasnt for the seeds planted at Big Oak Ranch, Denton says.
Its a sentiment echoed by the ranchs current residents. Id probably be in trouble, one 17-year-old girl speculates. Id be dead, bluntly states an 18-year-old boy who began having run-ins with police at age 8. Then he speaks with tenderness of the love hes felt since coming to the ranch in 1997. Now Ive got a dad whos there for me.
Being here teaches you to be more successful, says the boy who wrote the letter asking to be given a chance. It develops a lot of character.
Basic lessons in respect, integrity, and values travel with students for a lifetime. My job is not to gauge whos made it, Croyle says. My job is to be the seed planter that if they allow the seed to grow, theyll be good individual people.
Miracle Upon Miracle
Big Oak Ranch also owns Westbrook Christian School, in which 90 of the 615 students are Croyles kids. In 1990, this school was going bankrupt, Croyle says, proudly surveying the 30-acre campus. They said, Its yours for $1 if you want.
Theres been miracle upon miracle upon miracle about why Big Oak Ranch exists. Only God could pull this off. Im not a smart man but weve been given a gift.
Although the annual operating budget is almost $2.8 million, Big Oak Ranch gets 100 percent of its funding from donations and all its assets are paid for. But that doesnt mean there arent times when finances are tight. I remember when we didnt have money for two more days.
Besides financial gifts, Big Oak Ranch relies on a network of people who give of their time and goods. The dry waller will work on a house for us all week, then comes back on Saturday. I love his words. He says, The quicker I get this finished, the quicker you help out eight more children.
Mr. Johns grin spreads across his face: Thats what gets my motor running.
Michael Nolan is a Nashville, Tenn.-based frequent contributor to American Profile.
http://www.americanprofile.com/issues/2001...0010610_928.asp
The letter from the 15-year-old boy closed with these words: No one has ever given me a chance. If you give me a chance, I wont disappoint you. After reading it to his staff, John Croyle remembers his words: Bring me this boy.
A year later, that young man indeed is keeping his promise to Croyle and the staff of Big Oak Ranch near Gadsden, Ala., (pop. 41,155). He is one of 1,400 kids, ages 5-18, who, during the last 26 years, has found a chance and a hope for a real future.
An All-American 6-foot-6-inch defensive end on Paul Bear Bryants 1973 national championship team at the University of Alabama, Croyle was recruited by professional football teams but sensed that wasnt his true calling. His work at a childrens ranch in Lumberton, Miss., during his college years had revealed instead a passion for improving the lives of kids.
He sought advice from Coach Bryant and received predictably blunt advice: Forget about pro football and follow your dream. Go build your childrens home.
So in August 1974, Croyle moved to a farmhouse on 120 acres purchased with the $50,000 down payment miraculously collected within 48 hours$5,000 of his own, $15,000 from a family friend, and $30,000 from a college teammate who contributed his professional football signing bonus.
Two months later, he brought home a boy living in a railroad boxcar. Croyle hasnt looked back.
Id love to say that Im a good man, but Im not. Im just struggling like everybody else, says Croyle, an easy smile spreading across his kind face. But theres one thing I do know. I found out early what I was put on earth to do. Ive got the greatest job in the world. I get to love kids.
They come from Alabama and beyond, from dire poverty and surprising wealth. Some have been neglected; others victimized by unspeakable abuse. More than one child has been dropped off at the front gate with these parting words: You take him. I dont want him anymore. All have found a safe haven at Big Oak Ranch.
Our children have been betrayed by the mamas and daddies who were supposed to take care of them and love them and show them the way, says the man known around Big Oak Ranch as Mr. John.
Thats when Big Oak opens its big heart.
I say to all these children that, As long as I breathe, no one will ever hurt you like this again. And thats my promise, he says, his drawl growing soft. Thats what my wife and I have committed our lives to. God called us to help them pack their bags for the journey called life.
For the Croyles, its definitely a team effort. I knew what I was getting into when I married John, laughs Tee Croyle, whose dates frequently were chaperoned by the first five boys in Johns custody. If we had looked at the whole picture, we wouldve probably gone Whoa! Thats a big undertaking. But it was just piece by piece as we went along, so it wasnt so overwhelming.
A life immersed in Big Oak Ranch is all their two biological children have ever known. Daughter Reagan, 22, is studying to become a counselor. Son Brodie, 18, was a hotly recruited prep quarterback who enrolled at his fathers alma mater in January and dreams of returning to the ranch after a pro ball career.
The Vision Grows
Originally intended to serve only boys, Croyles vision expanded in 1988 when he learned of a 12-year-old girl brutally abused by her parents. He begged the court to give him custody, but because Big Oak did not have a facility for girls, his request was denied. A few months later, the youngsters father killed her.
Shelly changed my life, says Croyle, a trace of pain still evident. The girls ranch (in nearby Springville) is the fruit of the sacrifice that she made.
Today, the two ranches, which resemble subdivisions, house 90-plus kids in well-kept large brick homes with a married couple who serve as houseparents and up to eight children residing in each. Both properties have swimming pools, horses, and plenty of room to play. Its just too important that we do it right, Croyle emphasizes.
To keep on course, Croyle asks himself three questions each day: 1) What has God called us to do? 2) Am I doing it? and 3) What is the fruit of questions 1 and 2? Theyre my true north, he offers. Thats my compass every day.
As executive director, hes often required to make difficult decisions.
Last Friday I had to talk to a 17-year-old girl who is just flushing the chance that Shelly died for, he says, describing a particularly rebellious teenager.
But for every agonizing moment, there are joys that last a lifetime.
One of our girls was in the homecoming court. She was standing there with her house dad at halftime at the ballgame and he leans over and says, Im really sorry that your real dad couldnt be here. She said, He is.
It takes special people to become houseparents because, Croyle notes, children who come to Big Oak Ranch have not witnessed healthy family relationships. They dont know what its like to be tucked in to bed at night and be loved. They have not experienced the protection of a father or the love and protection of a mother, he says.
One thing thats different about Big Oak Ranch is that the staff really feel called to be here, says Keith Denton who lived at the ranch from the time he was 10 and returned as Big Oaks director of development following academic pursuits at West Point and Birmingham Southern. They really believed me. Theres no telling where I would be if it wasnt for the seeds planted at Big Oak Ranch, Denton says.
Its a sentiment echoed by the ranchs current residents. Id probably be in trouble, one 17-year-old girl speculates. Id be dead, bluntly states an 18-year-old boy who began having run-ins with police at age 8. Then he speaks with tenderness of the love hes felt since coming to the ranch in 1997. Now Ive got a dad whos there for me.
Being here teaches you to be more successful, says the boy who wrote the letter asking to be given a chance. It develops a lot of character.
Basic lessons in respect, integrity, and values travel with students for a lifetime. My job is not to gauge whos made it, Croyle says. My job is to be the seed planter that if they allow the seed to grow, theyll be good individual people.
Miracle Upon Miracle
Big Oak Ranch also owns Westbrook Christian School, in which 90 of the 615 students are Croyles kids. In 1990, this school was going bankrupt, Croyle says, proudly surveying the 30-acre campus. They said, Its yours for $1 if you want.
Theres been miracle upon miracle upon miracle about why Big Oak Ranch exists. Only God could pull this off. Im not a smart man but weve been given a gift.
Although the annual operating budget is almost $2.8 million, Big Oak Ranch gets 100 percent of its funding from donations and all its assets are paid for. But that doesnt mean there arent times when finances are tight. I remember when we didnt have money for two more days.
Besides financial gifts, Big Oak Ranch relies on a network of people who give of their time and goods. The dry waller will work on a house for us all week, then comes back on Saturday. I love his words. He says, The quicker I get this finished, the quicker you help out eight more children.
Mr. Johns grin spreads across his face: Thats what gets my motor running.
Michael Nolan is a Nashville, Tenn.-based frequent contributor to American Profile.