CUMMING, Ga. — The Bald Ridge Lodge in Cumming had its first resident in August of 2008. The center for at-risk boys now has 10 residents between the ages of 12 and 21, all of whom live there fulltime.
“Nobody wants to live in a group home, and nobody wants to be taken away from their parents or family,” Executive Director Heidi Snarey said. “Our mission is to give families that therapeutic home-like environment.”
Bald Ridge Lodge has been successful in providing a “home-like environment,” but Snarey says the recent expansion will help.
“The first thing they do when they get home is talk about their day, and they get a snack, and then to go clean their room. It's very much like a home. It's not like an institution,” she said. “We really care about the kids that are here so it's kind of like our own little family. And the kids, I think, feel that the environment here is caring.”
Snarey says Bald Ridge Lodge started an aftercare program last year, and many local groups got involved to help with the expansion.
“We had a porch and so we just built on that,” she said. “We didn't change the roofline, we just added to what we had. Now, we have an aftercare room and a specially designated counseling office. We have an intake area so when they walk in they’re not walking into the living environment. And then we have two visitation rooms for the families.”
To learn more about Bald Ridge Lodge, CLICK HERE.
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