When she found the cigarette lighter in her dad's car, she grabbed it and stuffed it quickly into her pocket before he could see what she was doing. When she got home, she jumped out of the car, picked up some old newspapers in the garage and ran two blocks to the city park. After making sure no one could see her, she lit the paper and placed it under an old wooden teeter-totter. WOOSH! The flames climbed up to the seats and soon the playground equipment was a blazing inferno.

Katie did get caught red handed and the Juvenile Corrections Officer ordered her to go to YESS' youth shelter. The JCO did not want her to return home where the fighting between her parents seemed to never end. The JCO recognized Katie herself was a powder keg ready to blow and she needed a break.

Katie was a lot like the fire she set. Once she got into the shelter, her scorching temper, her violent actions, and stormy personality kept her from making any friends or building relationships. One therapist however saw beyond Katie's behavior to see a child in need who was buckling under the pressure of home and an untreated mental illness.

Tina held therapy sessions with Katie and continued to help her manage behaviors and create better relationships with her parents. This took time. In fact, it took more than 4 years, but eventually she improved.

This story does have a happy ending for when she graduated from high school, Katie's record was cleared of all charges. Katie will be the first to testify that her therapist and Hope Hall lived up to its name, giving her the tools she needed to build a hope-filled future.