Testimonials

“When the home was being built I remember being in foster care and volunteering my time to help come in and do the clean up and dry wall. I was a part of that home before the doors were open and when it was finished, I was the first child welcomed in. Going into my junior year of high school, I was a little nervous about the outcome. During my senior year, the newspaper asked to do a front page story about me, so I did. I still have the newspaper article and I remember getting a lot of attention. Ultimately, t he Shepherd’s Home changed my life. I was surrounded by adults and other children that I still consider family and I have the confidence and faith to tackle life’s challenges. I have been waiting for the right moment to acknowledge what the Shepherd’s Home has meant to my life for several years now, and the 10th Anniversary is the opportunity I’ve been looking for.”

“My name is Jacob Kautz and I had the privilege of living in the Shepherd's Home during the school year of 1999-2000. Although my stay was short, the experience has stayed with me in my heart and thoughts ever since. I was not abused, nor was I neglected, but instead more of a “ trouble child”. I grew up in nearby Weiser where I had grown up not knowing what it was like to live in a home or community where people actually cared about their children and instead walked around with a sort of chip on my shoulder. After being kicked out of school in Weiser I finished up my freshman year at McCall-Donnelly while living with my uncle. After he had moved, I searched around for somewhere to stay so that I could finish school when Mrs. Fitzgerald (local teacher/family friend) had introduced me to the Shepherd's Home. They cared so much about children that they even gave this trouble maker a second chance just to keep a child in school. Everything from: helping with school work, instilling family values, introducing me to church, showing what it’s like to have a home cooked meal, to even the comforts of the Kunkel family singing us to sleep - they did it all. And the children who got to experience that little bit of a “normal” family could never be more thankful. Since then I have enlisted into the United States Air Force and am serving at Fort Meade in Maryland and currently hold a Top Secret Clearance. I am married to a great woman named Shelby Lynn (24) and have a beautiful little boy named Lawson Ashton (17 months) and if it was not for the Shepherd's Home and the community of McCall, Idaho I wouldn’t be where I am today. To the town of McCall, schools, and most importantly everyone who had a part in making the Shepherd's Home what it is today….Thank You.”

"The Shepherds Home is a valuable resource in Valley County for the benefit and emergency welfare of the youth. More than once, the Shepherds Home has provided temporary or long term emergency housing for the at risk youth who have entered into the Court system. The Shepherds Home has graciously provided their services, with no hesitation to accommodate. The Court believes the Shepherds Home to be a partner in the goal of improving the overall circumstances for youth in the community."