Teenager develops new attitude, new skills at Miracle Farm

BRENHAM—When Alex Hamilton met 16-year-old Dalton in August 2010, he saw a troubled young man with potential who needed special attention.

At the time, Hamilton served as campus life supervisor at Texas Baptist Children's Home in Round Rock.

Dalton, a resident student at Miracle Farm, developed a special bond with Butkus, a horse that—like the teenager—didn't want to be told what to do but benefited from loving guidance.

"Dalton was never a bad kid, but the public school system had failed him. He was struggling with his school work and getting his ADHD under control," said Hamilton. "Dalton's relationship with his house parents was not going great either, and he was still having behavioral issues."

Shortly after Hamilton transitioned to Miracle Farm as its executive director, another young man from Texas Baptist Children's Home whose brother was a resident at the farm told Dalton about it. Miracle Farm, a part of Children at Heart Ministries like Texas Baptist Children's Home, offers residential care, a public charter school, vocational training and other services that help boys and their families experience new direction and restoration.

Dalton decided Miracle Farm might be a better fit for him, and he began pursuing the move.

When he arrived at Miracle Farm in late April, Dalton still was struggling with his schoolwork and was on several medications to treat his ADHD. He continued having challenges in school, and near the end of June, he announced he wanted to drop out.

Dalton was given one week to see what life would be like as a high school dropout. A neighbor of Miracle Farm put him to work doing physical labor for two days.

Dalton thought the work was boring, so he was then assigned to work with James Paben, who provides farrier services for Miracle Farm's horses. Paben assigned Dalton the job of pulling weeds in cattle pens.

"We referred to it as the 'James Paben dropout program,'" Paben said. "After three or four days of hard labor, Dalton promptly decided he wanted to go back to school."

"At first I thought Mr. James was just being mean to me to try and get me to go back to school, but then I realized this was the kind of job available for someone without an education," Dalton said.

Upon his return to the classroom, Paben's wife, Caty, the campus director for Premier High School's Miracle Farm campus and Dalton's teacher, made some modifications to his school program that allowed him the opportunity to thrive academically.

In addition to the change of pace in the classroom, Dalton credits two other factors for his success—his relationship with his house parent, David Jones, and his relationship with Butkus, a horse recently donated to Miracle Farm.

"David and Dalton have a special bond, because David understands Dalton. They're very similar," Hamilton said. "David has been instrumental in helping Dalton, because he struggled with similar issues growing up."

Jones took Dalton under his wing and taught him how to take used ropes and craft head stalls and lead ropes for horses, which Dalton has had the opportunity to sell.

"Dalton is one of the most naturally gifted rope workers I've ever seen," Jones said. "He is truly phenomenal with his hands."

Dalton's horse, Butkus, has also been instrumental in his change. Dalton volunteered to ride and train Butkus, who quickly earned a reputation for being a little bit feisty with some of the other boys.

"When Butkus arrived at the farm, he was a bit spoiled and did not want to be told what to do. Using a training method developed by master horseman Chris Cox, Dalton has been able to help Butkus understand that if he cooperates, life can be more fun," Hamilton said.

Dalton noted he and the horse understand each other.

"I can relate to Butkus, because people are telling me what to do all the time," he said. "Now he actually lets me pull on his reigns and lead him."

"Watching these boys with their horses is like when hard heads meet hard heads. These boys are a lot like their horses. Neither wants to do anything and they both need to learn a lesson," said Paben, who also volunteers with the farm's horse program.

"As the boys start to get better, so do their horses. There are boys who return to the farm long after they've left just to talk to their horses."

Dalton hopes to leave the farm and return home to Lexington to complete his senior year of high school.

"There are just a lot of people there that said I could never do anything without my medication, and I'd love to prove them wrong," said Dalton. "Plus, I'd like to share my story in order to motivate change in others."

Now that Dalton is back on track with the help of the Miracle Farm staff, his teachers, volunteers such as Paben and, of course, Butkus, he also aspires to become either a mechanic or rope worker after he completes his education.

"Dalton represents the typical kid we serve here at Miracle Farm," Hamilton said. "Just when you think a boy is ready to walk away, he steps up to the plate and becomes a man. Young men like Dalton are why we do what we do."