There are 130 Teen Challenge chapters around the country and studies have shown success rates of 70 to 86 percent, compared to the single-digit rates of government programs. But if they want to call it treatment, then state law says they must be licensed. Outcomes and outputs are not an issue for us. And we need to have the American public meet, recognize, and join the remarkable people who are in the trenches helping turn lives around one at a time, and reclaiming our neighborhoods. We want to spotlight them, replicate them, and encourage millions of Americans to get involved - with these groups or with others they themselves discover or create.
Beacons of hope exist throughout the country.
Bob Cote is responsible for one such beacon. He runs Step 13 in Denver. If they fail, they're out. The government run shelters surrounding his buidling that act as a magnet for many of his clients, drawing them away from his life-affirming routine and back to the world of no rules, no responsibility and no hope. And there are many remarkable clergymen around the country, like the Reverend Freddie Garcia in Texas.