Blast from the Past - Here is another one

This story is from 2002. See how familiar it is to what happened in 2008 and keeps happening at this place. Should this not be enough to convince parents about how bad this place is??


CHILDREN TELL POLICE OF ABUSE AT VICTORY

BYLINE: Nirvi Shah, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
DATE: June 25, 2002
PUBLICATION: Palm Beach Post, The (FL)
EDITION: FINAL
SECTION: LOCAL
PAGE: 4B
MEMO: Ran all editions.
About a year after Victory Children's Home surrendered its state license while under fire from state welfare officials for violating rules for caring for children, youths staying at the home for abused and troubled teens accused their caretakers of abusing them, according to a police report.
Some of the 15 children now staying at the home at 602 S.W. Biltmore St. told police Friday "they had been struck with metal pipes and a wooden paddle as methods of punishment. . . . Shackles were used if children attempted or had 'thoughts' of running away from the home." The home's president, Alan Weierman, and several members of the board of directors could not be reached for comment Monday. No charges have been filed, but police and the Department of Children and Families are investigating the allegations.
When a DCF investigator tried to look into the allegations on Friday, staff members would not allow her to go inside, despite a court order allowing the agency to enter the home and interview the children, according to the police report.
Weierman eventually allowed the investigator to question youth at the home but only under conditions the DCF investigator found unacceptable. So police took all 15 children to the police station, questioned them, then released them to their parents. More than one youth made the accusation, police spokesman Chuck Johnson said.
Victory Children's Home works with children of all ages up to 17 who have behavior problems that are the result of abuse, neglect and drug and alcohol addiction. It also hosts a residential boot camp-like program that, according to its Web site, will push boys' bodies to their limits. Boys spend hours in the home's physical training area. They may not call home for the first two weeks after joining the program.
"Your son may complain to you about unbearable pain, crying that it's too hard. DON'T BE FOOLED!" the site states. Photographs on the site show young men wearing fatigues crawling in the sand and crossing shallow water walking on narrow logs.
"You've come to the right place for help for your daughter or son," writes Weierman in a message to people thinking about using Victory Children's Home. "Our professional staff work hard to insure that your confidence in us is never betrayed and I personally pledge the very best therapeutic care available. You will find our methods unconventional and unorthodox. Our expectations are very high, but I know that you will be very pleased with the progress you see in your child over the course of their stay with us."
Although the state no longer licenses the home, the Web site states it is a member of the Florida Association of Christian Child Caring Agencies, National Association of Christian Child Care Agencies and the Florida Coalition for Children. The Department of Children and Families no longer refers children to the home, spokeswoman Betty Robinson said.
Victory Children's Home opened in Fort Pierce in 1984, then moved to Port St. Lucie in 1993. Weierman has been president since 1987.
In a 2000 complaint, DCF wrote that that Victory officials left a 17-year-old alone in the parking lot at another children's shelter run by the Children's Home Society. Another alleged violation involved allowing an 11-year-old with a history of sexual offenses to share a bedroom with another child. The home surrendered its license without a hearing about six months after the complaint was filed and as the license was set to be revoked.

Another Option for Troubled Teens

We continue with providing parents with alternatives to the hellish place known as Victory Forge. We received another letter from a former student who was there in 2002 - he repeats the same allegations that all others have about this place. We cannot caution parents enough about VF.

From official statements: Teen Challenge is one of the oldest, largest and most successful programs of its kind in the world. Established in 1958 by David Wilkerson, Teen Challenge has grown to more than 170 centers in the United States. Teen Challenge is structured to allow flexibility in meeting the needs of those whose lives have been shattered by addictions. Where residential care is needed, Teen Challenge offers a well-developed, multi-phased discipleship training program. Teen Challenge also provides extensive non-residential assistance through personal and group sessions. Prevention programs are provided to thousands each year through public school assemblies and church meetings.

It is our guess that the Weierman's have tried to copy the religious aspects of Teen Challenge to offer legitimacy to their prison for teens. Teen Challenge, according to our research and interviews is more cost effective and promotes confidence in teens rather than destroying them. Moreover, there are Teen Challenges' in just about every state, and there may be one right by you. Click here for locations.

Spin Master Weirman (no not the machine you use in the gym!)

Happy New Year to all our readers.

A while ago, a parent contacted us and stated that he had hired some private investigators to perform a background check on VF and those running the program. The parent did not want to share that information with us on advice of his attorney. Now, the parent has been permitted to share some information on the findings of the PI with us. This story has been corroborated by prior employees.

Recall that Alan Weierman is married to Molly whose father, Rev. William Brink, was a convicted child molester who went to prison. Also recall, that Alan Weierman himself had many run-ins with the law and has known violent tendencies. Details can be found in older posts and elsewhere on the web.

Alan and Molly’s son, Jonathan was also a troubled child who had issues with drug and drug abuse. Alan and Molly had tried to cover this up and even went so far as to lie to their staff that their son was in drug rehab when in reality he was at his child molesting grandfather’s house. At this time, we do not have additional details as that information was not sent to us by the parent.

Knowing that a child is in custody of a violent man who is known for his bad temperament should cause a parent to pause. Add that to the fact that the institution was started by a convicted child molester who had a shady history and the fact that the Weierman’s could not discipline their own children, let alone someone else’s. How could someone of good conscience place their children in such a place run by such people? I guess forgiveness is divine, but if someone has 3 or more strikes against them, caution is needed not forgiveness.

We will try and get more information on the Weierman’s for you. They are, and let us quote a former employee “spin masters” so facts are what will matter. The facts are in front of you – the Weirman’s are a messed up family who are trying to teach kids the straight and narrow. Hypocrisy, is one of the words that comes to mind.

Another alternative, which is very cost effective is to use a parent support group in your area. There are a lot of support groups which provide classes, tips and other suggestions to help out your teen. This is a great place to start and will also help provide you with ideas.

Counselors sent us a list of some of the support groups they were familiar with. We wanted to compile a list, but we noted that such a list has already been compiled by Parenting Teens. In some cases, a few states are still missing and we will try and complete the list on that site.

To find a support group in your area, click here.

If you have additional questions, please forward them to us and we will send it out to our counselors.

Letter from one former student

Received an email from a former student. He was ok with us posting this letter (we withheld his name until the appropriate authorities can be contacted). We have received quiet a few letters from former students echoing the same thoughts. We will consolidate and start placing them on the website (which is under construction).

Much has been said about what happened at Victory Children’s Home prior to April 24. As a former enrollee in the academy, I have first hand knowledge and want to inform you and your readers about this. First of all, thank you for bringing the plight of the helpless to the forefront.

My year at VF was nothing short of miserable and torturous. When I read about what POWs endured in foreign countries, I cannot help but think how similar my experience was to theirs. The only difference, I was being tortured in the USA. Many times, food was withheld from me. I was not allowed to go to the bathroom and had to defecate in my pants only to be ridiculed by my instructors and other students (who were forced to do so). I was slapped, hit, beat up in numerous time both by instructors and by my fellow students (again against their will as it was them or me getting beat up).

People will think that the students sent here are bad and that is why this behavior is acceptable to reform our youth. They will also say that this treatment was necessary to break the kids will and build them back up again. All I can say is that kids need love, guidance, and role models, not abuse. Sure, our will was broken down, but it was never rebuilt and we have to live with this scar for the rest of our lives. I visited a psychiatrist for about 1 year after I left the place and I often times still have nightmares about what I endured.

My thought on why this is hard to prove comes down to one word – FEAR. Kids are afraid of the consequences of what will happen to them once they tell the outside world the truth. VF does a great job of telling the parents and others how we will manipulate, deceive, lie – do whatever it takes to get out of our place. Parents, who are emotionally weak at this stage and want their kids to improve, will always believe the academy and the academy will get away with lying to everyone. They can fool all the people all the time, or at least have until now. Also, kids are warned by the instructors not to say anything negative about the place. We are told that the staff will find out about it and then the kids will have to pay the price. When my parents came to take me out, I was forced to tell them all was well with the place and hide the facts that I was being beaten up and abused. I had to do this to survive the place and am assured that others followed the same survival instinct.

Once I found out about what you are trying to do, I decided to help you. I will try and reach out to other former cadets so that they can come out and tell you the truth. My means are limited, but my motivation is high. I am willing to talk to anybody you like.

Thank you for believing in us.

Weierman was not in the Military?

According to Military Personnel Records - this the repository of all military records - Alan Weierman (the self professed COL of Victory Forge) is not really a Colonel. He never achieved that rank, which did not surprise us. What was surprising though was that the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) was "unsuccessful in identifying a military service for" Alan Weierman.

The NPRC needed some specific information to be sure, but their preliminary search did not show that Weierman was in the military.

Alan, want to prove us wrong? Want to prove to us that you indeed are a Colonel and that you indeed were in the Military?

We are not holding our breath as Weierman has what is known as a compulsive lying disorder. Beware.