Providing help, healing and hope to
troubled boys and girls, 6-15

The Tomorrow's Child Golf Tournament: A benefit for Nelson Center - will be held Monday, Oct. 13 at the Prestonwood Country Club-Hills. Stake your turf now!

Wright on the Radio! The staunch Nelson Center supporter and NFL Hall of Famer will be broadcast "live" from an Addison, Texas restaurant Aug. 21 and Sept. 30. Details

When Sean came to the Nelson Center he was only six years old and barely four feet tall, much too small and vulnerable to have experienced all the pain and suffering his case history revealed.

Sean was depressed, that natural resilience and optimism children seem gifted with at birth had been eroded. By the time he arrived at the Nelson Center, he had even lost his smile.

Sean had been abused so severely, and had witnessed such cruel behavior by adults, that it took two years at the Nelson Center to turn his life around. To this day Sean is more disturbed by memories of his siblings being beaten than his own beatings. When he and his infant sister were removed from their "home," she had belt marks across her face! For a long time, Sean struggled with his inability as a five year old to protect her.

When he first came to the Nelson Center, Sean was unsure of himself. In sports, he felt awkward, mostly because no one had taught him how to throw a ball or kick a goal. In the classroom he was quiet and meek, surrounded by children who talked about family visits, an experience Sean would not have. He was all but forgotten by a family that apparently felt the cost of a long-distance phone call was more valuable than contacting their little boy.

Little by little, Sean reclaimed his self esteem and that smile. With therapy designed to reduce his shame of being abused and neglected, combined with a compassionate structured environment, Sean began to believe that there were adults who do not beat children for crying; that there are people who genuinely care about him, and who are willing to
invest their time in helping him.

By the time Sean left the Nelson Center, he had lost a few of his "baby" teeth but had found his smile again and was becoming confident of himself.

Placed with an LSS foster family, Sean still has a long way to go. But like the thousands of other children who have been helped by LSS, he is well on his way to a full and productive life!

LEARN MORE about Nelson Children's Center.