By: Jazmine Williams

Butterflies are known for their effortless beauty. But their journey is not without struggle. The process is as challenging as it is miraculous.

When I first started working at Anchor House, two of my coworkers told me how they spend their 15 minute break walking the driveway into our main campus. As we walked, I marveled at all the butterflies that swarmed around us, seeing up close the beautiful creatures that typically greet my car in the morning.

On the way back from my first day joining them, we ran into one of our new youth, Jakob. I had only started working the week before, meaning Jakob and I were learning about this place together. I introduced myself to him, expressing that I was also new around here. I began to ask questions about his tattoos, which led to a bigger conversation about his life and how he ended up here.

Jakob shared heartbreaking stories from his childhood—accounts of the pain he endured growing up. He had a physically abusive father who only showed up when it was convenient, and two older siblings he took care of. When Jakob was removed from the home, he was placed with a family who had a son, one who took advantage of him sexually for years. This led to a long series of moves across the state, bouncing placement to placement. He said he had no idea how many homes he’d been in before this one—telling us it was “too many places to count.” My heart was heavy as the big, tough teenager became so small. He told me the reason he kept getting moved was because he would run away. I quietly asked him if he planned on doing that now that he was here at Anchor House. His head immediately lifted and he told me “What? No way. This is the best place I have been.”

When a butterfly breaks from its chrysalis, the struggle of fighting its way to freedom is actually what allows it to survive. The process strengthens them and equips them with the skills they need to be independent. It is part of the butterflies' development. Although I haven’t been here very long, I’ve quickly learned that this is exactly what Anchor House is. A place where kids are free to figure out the struggle. It is a place where lives are changed, and hope is restored.

These brief, 15 minute walks quickly became my favorite part of the day. I still find myself getting excited for the boys to get back from school, eager to hear about their day—their triumphs, struggles, and even just the small, everyday moments. It’s in those after-school conversations that I see glimmers of their growth. There’s something special about those walks, yellow butterflies dancing around, and the real-life stories of transformation happening right beside me. A place where yellow butterflies, like Jakob, can grow to be healthy and free.

Here at Anchor House, we're in the butterfly business. Teaching kids that they really can break through the chrysalis.

That their past is not their future, and that butterflies, and children, were meant to be free.