We feel our teens say it best...

"Hi, my name is Amber. I’m 17 years old and I grew up in a broken family filled with broken people. My parents got a divorce when I was 6 years old. When I was 7 my brother started to sexually molest me. That lasted till I was 11. By the time I was 10 I was clinically depressed. I would cut and burn myself with cigarettes to cope with my problems. It was a release; the blood was doing the crying my eyes couldn’t do.

When I was 11 I started using drugs and alcohol as an escape from my problems. It temporarily freed me from reality. When I was 12, I was snorting coke in the school bathrooms. When I was 13 the unimaginable happened. I was raped and got pregnant as a result. When I was 4 months pregnant I was told to get an abortion so I could live, because my immune system was killing me and the baby. So, I did it. I felt like a murderer. I attempted suicide four times in the course of that year. I felt hopeless beyond belief, like I didn’t deserve to live.

Then, when I was in 7th grade, my friend told me about TreeHouse. I never knew what "safe" was until I came to Chaska TreeHouse. At TreeHouse I had a mentor who was there for me and cared about me even when I didn’t care for myself. I started to feel like I was wanted and loved by others for once in my life. She helped me make the decision to follow God. I finally realized what it meant to be loved without strings, and to know that I am loveable, capable, and worthwhile.

Because of TreeHouse, I’m sober. Because of TreeHouse, I’ve stopped cutting. Because of TreeHouse, I love God and I know that I am loved."

TreeHouse is a Christian organization offering hope, guidance, support, and unconditional love to at-risk teens dealing with tough issues such as depression, suicide, gangs, violence, truancy, addiction, cutting, sexual activity, anorexia and bulimia. The goal of our program is life transformation. TreeHouse is a place for at-risk teens to have fun, meet friends, discover faith, overcome pain, serve others, and be empowered by staff to succeed. The name of our ministry was created from the idea that a tree house connotes a safe place. Our youth come to TreeHouse knowing they will be safe and supported by a loving staff who constantly remind them they are lovable, capable, and worthwhile.