When I came to Youth-Reach, I was a prideful jock. Director David Williams was one of the first people to call me out on my pride. From there, he and the staff showed me what humility as a Christ follower looks like.
After graduating from high school, Marcus Guerrero was lost. His closest friends were moving on to new careers and new relationships, but he had no purpose and no motivation to succeed. His older brother, Micah, had experienced change through Youth-Reach Gulf Coast, and Marcus thought maybe there was hope for him, too.
For a really long time, Andy's life was buried in shame, anxiety and depression. He was in a downward spiral, going nowhere. He finally decided that he needed something in his life to change. That change was Youth-Reach. Hear Andy's testimony in his own words...
Kayla met Zach on Easter Sunday in April 2015. At the time, he was a resident at Youth-Reach Gulf Coast (YRGC) and on a break spending time with his family. Kayla didn't know much about him and certainly didn't know that he would be her future husband. She later learned that he had been court-ordered [...]
In 2014, Keith and Phyllis Smith were coming to terms with their son's self-defeating behavior. This is their story of faith, prayer, and redemption as God used YRGC to change their son Austin's life...
I'm from a Christian household in Orlando, Florida. Growing up, my dad was handy. He built our house and was always teaching me things. I even had summer gigs in construction. My parents always taught me right from wrong and in my teenage years, I knew I was on the wrong path.
Blaine was trapped in a cycle of drugs, juvenile detention, and getting help. Even after graduating YRGC's program, his life wasn't one of wholeness and relationship with the Father. But now, God's built a community of other believers around him that he didn't think was possible.
Our volunteer staff are a tremendous blessing, and Smith Prestwood and his wife Jessica have been faithfully blessing Youth-Reach Gulf Coast (YRGC) with their volunteerism for years.
Through Andy's experiences with others, he had grown to associate “love” and “trust” with pain. He didn’t know I needed to unlearn those buzzwords and relearn what they really mean. But God gave Andy a close glimpse of His heart, and he's been in love ever since.
At Youth-Reach Gulf Coast (YRGC), we are grateful to have the support of volunteers who pour their lives into helping us raise strong men of God. Tia Morris is a committed volunteer who holds a particularly special place in the hearts of the young men we serve. She and her husband, Ronnie, frequently host our residents [...]
