Tori Gentry is one of the lucky ones.

Removed from a difficult family situation 15 months ago, she was placed in the care of Fayette Youth Protection Homes. Since then, she has shaken a rebellious past and she has caught up in school so she can graduate this spring, on time, from Starr’s Mill High School.

Gentry told a crowd of FYPH supporters Saturday night that she will attend Atlanta Christian College and get a degree in counseling. Specifically, she wants to focus her future career on helping other abused girls.

FYPH staff helped take Gentry off the path to “self destruction,” she said.

“They did not give up on me,” Gentry said. “God did not give up on me.”

Gentry said she has been humbled by the support she has received from a variety of benefactors both in her church and in the community at large.

“There is no way I will ever be able to repay my church family,” Gentry said.

Gentry also gave special credit to the Pace family of Peachtree City, who took her out for fun events such as shopping, dinner and to the movies. Becoming her “mentor family” required hours of special training, and Gentry said she is terribly grateful for being a part of the Pace family’s life.

“It’s just so amazing that you can come into a situation with people you barely know and they can just fall in love with you and just give your hearts to you,” Gentry said. “It’s just so amazing.”

Gentry also thanked Starr’s Mill coaches Walt Ellison and Jon Gloer for motivating her to catch up on her class schedule, which meant taking a full load of two classes during summer school the past two years.

“I never dreamed I’d be able to graduate on schedule,” Gentry said, adding that the coaches also raised money so she could take a school trip to Washington, D.C.

One highlight for Gentry in the past year was being able to attend the school prom, all dressed up and in a fancy limousine, just like any other student at Starr’s Mill, Gentry said.

That’s a good example of one of the main goals of FYPH: to help their kids live as normal lives as possible.

That’s exactly what interior designer Jamie Georgia did, too. She was honored with the FYPH “Angels Among Us” award for her efforts to coordinate a massive redecoration of the Friday-Johnson home last year.

Not only did Georgia help redo all the kids’ bedrooms, but every room in the house got a new look as she led a team of professionals, almost all of whom donated their time as Georgia did.

“She really jumped on this idea and came up with a design plan for each and every room in the home,” said Leslie Wade, the FYPH board member who presented Georgia with the award.

The project really hit home with the FYPH kids, Wade said, noting that on a recent visit to the house they all wanted to proudly show off their “new” rooms.

Fayette Youth Protection Homes offers eight long-term and two emergency beds for children ages 6 through 17. Most of the residents come from Fayette County, and they are typically removed from their home due to abuse, neglect or abandonment. From July 2004 through June 2005, 88 percent of the children were from Fayette.

The average youth’s stay with FYPH is from between six to eight months. They receive food, clothing, shelter, medical attention if necessary and a number of therapeutic and recreational services. Each one of the kids attends Fayette County schools.

FYPH, which let go of a second location on the north end of the county last year, is preparing plans to help address the needs of younger children, as its current license is restricted to helping kids ages 6 and up, said Don Phillips, President of the FYPH board of directors. The Friday-Johnson home is managed by Georgia Baptist Children’s Homes and Family Ministries.

FYPH offers several ways for members of the community to help, through monetary donations, items or services such as school supplies, toiletries, food and gift certificates, or by becoming a volunteer.

For more information, call FYPH at 770-461-7020 or e-mail Executive Director Becky Davenport at b.davenport@fyph.org.

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