By the time Alana Farnsworth was 12, her behavior issues were so severe that she spent time in the hospital and eventually ended up in the custody of the Department of Children and Families, where she moved around between foster homes and group homes, and back to the hospital.
Finally, she found a place to land at The Village’s Alison Gill Lodge, a therapeutic group home for girls. With support from Dr. Jennifer Lusa, senior director of intensive adolescent services and the rest of the Alison Gill Lodge staff, Alana began her journey of hope and healing.
In December of 2017, Alana relayed her story with poise and confidence to an audience of 500 at The Village’s Girl Within Luncheon. She spoke of her current successes and future dreams. Armed with a bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of Saint Joseph, Alana plans to attend law school and fight for socially just policies and laws at the federal level.
“So here I am now,” Alana said, “Feeling so empowered standing up in front of a crowd of 500 people sharing my story. Now, I am a grown woman, an educated one, and I am so much more than my past.”
Watch Alana’s story:
