The residents created this peaceful garden spot at Chance; building the stone pathway and swings as well.

CHANCE opened in the summer of 1988 and has served more than 900 girls to date. This site, formerly known as DeBerry Military Academy and once used to prepare young men for adulthood and/or military service, is now helping young ladies find normalcy and peace of mind. The CHANCE center can serve a total of 24 female youth whose average length of stay is between four and six months. The spacious campus has several sizable structures including a dining hall, dorm, and administrative building; each providing environments that reflect the commitment of caring in providing a safe, nurturing, family-like environment. The dining hall also serves as the hub for large group activities, weekend visitation for the families and staff training, as well as a game room.

The dorm welcomes residents with bright colors, friendly décor, and cozy furniture. A large mural depicting family, recreation, and sports, different landscape scenes showing country life and the lights of the big city, covers the walls in the group room reflecting the girls’ path through life. This mural was painted by the Art Students from Tennessee Tech University. The bedrooms continue in the scheme of bright colors but serve as a place for solitude and individual reflection.

The CHANCE Transitional School is located in the administrative building which also contains the auditorium/library and several staff offices. The auditorium also doubles as space for music and art classes, group activities, and as an exercise area. CHANCE staff also uses this area for many of the required in-service trainings. The grounds are well-maintained and offer plenty of space for outdoor games and activities. The campus also features basketball and volleyball courts.

CHANCE staff is dedicated to meeting the needs of the young women placed in our care; having the ability to provide the youth with the skills and services to address long-term, life-changing goals. In a safe, family-like environment, program participants can grow, find out who they are, what they want out of life, and become successful educationally, emotionally, and socially. The primary focus of this program is to help each participant succeed in transitioning back to their perspective families and communities with a strength of character they can use to achieve the success in life that they desire and deserve.

Program staff undergo significant initial training before working directly with the young women at CHANCE. Mandatory annual in-service must be completed, as well as several other required trainings: Crisis Intervention, CPR, Positive Discipline, and Suicide Prevention.