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Report: #1046920

Complaint Review: Eastern Appalachian Teen Challenge - Roanoke Virginia

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  • Reported By: Samantha — Plymouth Michigan
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  • Eastern Appalachian Teen Challenge 5720 Williamson Rd Roanoke, Virginia United States of America

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If you are looking to help your child, look elsewhere. Some of their own staff left because of this place's falseness. Another student was removed because of my removal. They told parents upon enrolling their child in the program that we would lie and say anything to get out. I was the second student. The girl before me arrived hours before me. I was there in the beginning.

I was ridiculed about my beliefs in God, forced to dig up a tree stump rather than attend classes, mocked about my mistakes publicly, and kicked out for "hitting" a girl who was six foot and probably weighed 200lbs; and claimed to be part of a gang. (I was 5'1", 90lb. Do you think I would really be that dumb?). It is also suspected that the girls who "graduated" performed personal sexual favors for the director.

For this being a "Christian" program, I never questioned my faith so much. I am in contact with several of the girls who were in the program at the same time I was. None of us believe this program should exist. All of us are "rehabilitated" from our "problems" and completed this one our own with absolutely no help from the program. If anything, this place made it much worse.

I was also required to sign a non-disclosure clause after being awake for over 30 hours. You tell me how this looks.

This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 04/28/2013 09:01 PM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/eastern-appalachian-teen-challenge/roanoke-virginia-24012/eastern-appalachian-teen-challenge-eatc-non-christian-set-up-dangerous-for-adolescents-ro-1046920. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content

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REBUTTALS & REPLIES:
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11Consumer
1Employee/Owner

#12 General Comment

Bunch of Crap

AUTHOR: radically.redeemed - (USA)

POSTED: Tuesday, October 24, 2017

  I am a PROUD TEEN CHALLENGE GRADUATE as of October 19th, 2016, and I completely disagree with this whole page.  All of the people who want to diss a program that is setting out to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ and help troubled teens are outrageous.  I understand if you did not like the program or if it just wasn't for you.  Not everybody graduates or enjoys their time there.  But when you start spreading flat out LIES is when I have an issue.

I was 14 when I entered EATC. They treated me like their own daughter while I was there.  There was no sort of unfair treatment unless you deserved it, to be honest.  Unless you yelled at staff, cussed at them, became violent, or blatently criticized the Bible, they were fair.  There is no ifs, ands, or buts to counteract that. 

And yes, they do make you call them Mrs, Mr, sir, ma'am, etc.  THAT IS CALLED RESPECT.  YOU WILL NEED TO USE IT IN LIFE.  They never made your disciplines publicly, it was always in private, with accountability staff or a student.  If you are too self absorbed to take correction enough to be treated with respect, then that is your problem. 

The most "unfair" thing that happened while I was there was to ME, and it was reasonable.  I was on 2 different week long shush pins (which I deserved) and I had to separate white rocks from red rocks in the rockbed.  That program was the best thing that happened to me.  Please keep lies to yourself.  This is a wonderful program.

Be blessed,

Brittany Smith

P.s.  I am a graduate and I definately did NOT do any sort of sexual favors for the director, to the one who wants to start that. smh

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#11 General Comment

Seeking the truth on EATC

AUTHOR: eatctruthsearch - (USA)

POSTED: Saturday, May 14, 2016

I am trying to compile the most accurate picture possible of EATC and Harley and Lisa Cox. If anyone is willing to update their reports or perspectives, it would be helpful. 

I would like to hear the best and the worst in well written paragraphs. Credibility is paramount. 

Thank you in advance. 

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#10 Consumer Comment

brainwashed

AUTHOR: Anonymous - ()

POSTED: Thursday, September 25, 2014

Lauren. .sadly you sound just like them. I don't know you personally.  But I do know your sister. You sound

Like the spawn of her..which soumds like the spawn of harley and lisa. Of course everyone who disagrees with this program is "in the dark" and "living for satan" every single graduate from that program is ruined worse now. One has had three abortions since graduating. 9 out of the 12 I know habe returned to drugs alcohol and sex. They didnt prepare us for reality. You judging the writers makes you sound as brainwashed as they come. I personally have my relationship with Christ. .but I however do disagree with how this program was ran. I sae behimd the seens situations. I pray you come to the light and stop your judgmental heart..you amd your sister.

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#9 Consumer Comment

For His Glory!

AUTHOR: Lauren - ()

POSTED: Monday, September 15, 2014

As I sit here and write this I am literally in tears!  My heart is heavy and my heart is broken.  This website is a tool that the enemy is using to decieve the hearts of many.  The enemy is so happy and pleased with this; but I come bringing glorious news that the God I serve is STRONGER than any attack of the enemy.  My God is living and active and will one daybring His judgment.  Statistics show that secular rehabilitation centers have a less than 1% sucess rate.  That means that an individual might make it drug or alcohol free.  Forget serving God!  Teen Challenge has an 86% sucess rate 7 years after graduation that an individual is drug and alcohol free and still serving God! Praise God for His amazing work in the lives of those who are hurting. 

Although it has not been 7 years; I like to beleive that my sister and I are living testimonies of this statistic.  My life was transformed at this center.  Teen Challenge cannot take this credit; only Jesus Christ can.  The Spirt of the Living and the One True God is moving at Eastern Appalachian Teen Challenge.  Teen Challenge is an organization that facilitates a place where Jesus Christ can move.  Jesus is the answer to why so many lives are changed, chains are broken, and lives are set free!  I am now passionate about my new life in Christ and more in love with my Creator than you'll ever know. I am called to be the hands and feet of Jesus in this dark world and I have every intention of rising up to that high calling over my life. 

Harley and Lisa Cox are the two most amazing, beautiful, and influential people I have ever met in my entire life.  They are being obidient to the calling Christ has placed over their lives.  Through God's guidance over their lives, I have learned what it looks like to reflect the character of Jesus, a strong work ethic, and how to deepen my relationship with my Savior, Redeemer, and Friend.  They are training up young disciples/leaders for the Kingdom of God. I strongly beleive that you are all being used by satan himself to tear down the amazing work of Christ... but guess what!?.... God will not have it! He is an all-powerful God who's heart is literally broken from these comments below.  Praise God that Jesus has already overcome and defeated the grave. 

In this life we will face many trials and tribulations but my book says to "take heart, for I have overcome the world."  Keep on persecuting God's glorious work and see what happens.  This life is but a vapor, a passing in the wind. I have hope to persevere in this dark and cruel world because I have the hope that my Savior will come and swipe me off my feet and take me home where I can dwell with Him forever.  Soon all of this will not matter and will all fade.  I fervently pray that you all will turn from your dark ways and recognize God as your only answer because He is the answer! He is the Light, the Truth, and the Way.  He longs to have an intamite relationship with you. Come to Him, for He makes all things new!          

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#8 General Comment

2 time graduate of EATC

AUTHOR: R Dabler - ()

POSTED: Saturday, April 26, 2014

I am a graduate of Eastern Appalachian Teen Challenge. I was a student for thirty five months total because it was Gods will for my life and I completed high school at the program. All of these false accusations are the dumbest things I have ever heard. Seems like there are some pretty bitter people put there... so sad. Also I find it ridiculous that ex-employees want to complain about the program...even more sad. Having been there for 35 months I have a more solid and reliable perspective on EATC. It was the best 35 months of my life. Forget all the lies multiple people want to throw at Harley and Lisa and the program. Harley and Lisa are amazing Godly people..they are extremely prayerful and led by the Lord in all they do...seems like more people need to be like that. For those who said they kicked their life controlling issues on their own they are complete liars...if you could truly kick your life controlling issues on your own then more people would be doing it. Those who want to say they did it pm their own are probably still dabbling in sin and haven't truly hit their rock bottom yet and realized they can't do it on their own. If we could do it on our own then Jesus didn't have to die...saying you can do it on your own is like spitting in Jesus' face... keep on living In denial .. I feel bad for you. I couldn't do it on my own... I need Jesus and I truly encountered Him while in Teen Challenge.

Thank God for people like Harley and Lisa who have a heart to serve the Lord. The gospel is offensive to those who are perishing. I truly met Jesus while at Teen Challenge and was set free by Jesus. For those who are looking for a place to help your adolescent girls I completely recommend Teen Challenge... my dad died while I was in the program and Harley was like a dad to me while I was there.... it says in the Bible consider persecution a blessing... its obvious they are doing what's right because so many people are trying to Come against them.. So keep on trying to persecute them because ultimately its a blessing and a reminder they are doing Gods work... ex-employees its pretty sad your screwed up perspectives... anyways I highly recommend teen challenge... there is a reason EATC has a 99% accredidation rate. For those who want to say Harley and Lisa write off vacation as business trips are you there accountants?? You obviously are ignorant and don't know what you are talking about. You guys must need to hit your heads harder. I love you Harley and Lisa.

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#7 UPDATE EX-employee responds

Sacrifce in a Salary of $95,000?

AUTHOR: JesusSaves - ()

POSTED: Friday, January 24, 2014

 This is very IMPORTANT information that every parent needs to know before enrolloinng thier daughter into this program.

Please following the following link and scorll down to page 7

http://990finder.foundationcenter.org/990results.aspx?990_type=&fn=eastern+appalachian+teen+challenge&st=&zp=&ei=&fy=&action=Find

You will see that Harley and Lisa Cox bring in a combined total of $95,000 a year from this program.  Is that really a sacrifice?  Most people don't even make half of that.  Harley and Lisa are having students beg for donations and yet they are making a huge profit off of this program.  I have a friend who is a Doctor and doesn't even make this much a year. 

I'm sorry but something needs to be done!  Is it really ethical for a ministry to be paying someone $95,000 a year when you are begging for donations from people who don't even make close to what you are making?

There's something wrong with this picture.  Someone needs to answer for this and very quickly. 

 

 

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#6 General Comment

Past student

AUTHOR: Oneloveonelife - ()

POSTED: Friday, January 24, 2014

I was only 14 years old when I entered EATC! I was placed there for respecr and self harm issues, I grew up in church but I choose not to be a follower of jesus! Everyday in the program we would do 3-4 hours of bible work each day and only 2 hours of school work at first I thought ok mabye they are just trying to make us jesus freaks no harm right wrong. later I began to notice how Harley would reward the worshipers and the girls who spoke in tounges and ridicule and make fun of the other girls!  when we first started the program we were forced to pray and read the bible, and if we didn't we were disciplined, every church service we had to take notes and one day I didn't write very many notes (I was sitting with my family that day) and as my discapline was to listen to a sermen and write 3 pages of detailed notes. Harley even threated to take away my parents ( where they couldn't sit with me in Sunday mornings when they came for visits)!He scared me intemidated me! my grandfather died while I was in the program I was lucky that I could even go to the funeral because 2 other girls weren't allowed to go to there grandmothers, but I remember sitting on the couch and crying and Harley walks in and tell me to suck it up and move on!

The way we were disciplined I believe was child labor, we had to scrub rocks with tooth brushes and a few girls that were in the program before me told me how they had to dig a grave and dig up stumps! We even had to clean Harley and Lisa house one day and shovel their drive way I felt like there slave! There was 12 girls living there at the time that I was there and we only had to take 5 minute showers and we could only shave once a week. If we didn't call the employees miss before their name we would be put on what's called a word fast and what that is   You could jot speak for 24 hours and if you did your time would be prolonged!

 i was informed that the coxs used the teen challenge credit card that was for us girls and used it to buy their family a vacation, they would send us to go door to door and ask for money, my family wasn't very wealthy but in order for me to get the help I needed  they had to pay 2000 a month let me tell you they didn't even come close to that every month but they did what they could. our parents would have to supply groceries and if they didn't get those items that week they weren't allowed to visit with us! The girls kept me saine , I had gotten really close to this one girl she and I really clicked and Harley and Lisa saw that and put me and her on a relationship distance where we could not talk look at each other or even be in the same room All because we were really good friends. I hated that i felt so alone because of that I was hurt. I was good friends with the other girls but not as close as her. I was only apart of teen challenge for 6 months. I was very lucky because I was local my parents went to the same church as the program so I saw my parents every week sometimes twice a week, I honestly wish I didn't see them that often because it wasn't fair to the others some of them didn't even get to see there parents the whole time they were there!

My parents pulled me out of the program because they didn't get along with Harley. Harley wanted more money and my parents did all they could but that wasn't enough so I was pulled out, after I left Harley told the girls not to talk to me just to say hello and that's it he said I was a past student! that was very hard and that hurt me I would see them a lot but I couldnt talk to them I couldn't talk to the girls I once lived with!  I have nightmares and panic attacks still to this day from them every time I see them my heart races and I pray they don't bring me back. I believe teen challenge is a cult nobody should be forced to worship or to pray its a choice that one has to make on their own! Please don't send your daughters here They don't deserve to be victims of Harley's cult! 

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#5 Consumer Comment

WOWZERs

AUTHOR: Anonymous - ()

POSTED: Friday, January 24, 2014

John Gordan is Harley everyone.
HES THE LIAR. and the manipulator.

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#4 UPDATE EX-employee responds

Please Beware!

AUTHOR: JesusSaves - ()

POSTED: Friday, January 24, 2014

 I worked at Eastern Appalachian Teen Challenge.  I went into ministry thinking it was all about helping people and showing them love and grace.  I really had no idea what I was getting myself into when I came to work here.  I became very brainwashed just like all the students.  After leaving Teen Challenge it took me over 1 year to feel normal again. This center makes you feel like you have to be PERFECT in order to be forgiven.  They are very controlliing and if you do not do something the way they like it they will scream and yell at you and make you feel like you are worthless.  I experienced this kind of treatment for 2 years.  I thought this was how I was suppose to be treated though.  The students were treated even worse.  Everything in this program is about MONEY.  Whatever they can do to get as much money as possible.  Yes they make it seem good because they might take the students to do something fun but there is always a motive behind what they do.  They would make the students work in order to benefit the directors.  We were made to work at a Food Bank for 8 hours all so the Director and his family could get tickets to go to Disney World.  I do not think this is right at all.  If you truly want to help someone you dont expect anything from them in return.  I remember one night the Director came over to the house and was yelling at one of the young ladies who liked to sing, he was telling her that her sinnging would never take her anywhere.  He was so rude to her and belittled her to make her feel like she couldnt sing.  I believe that God has used many singers to bring people to him.  The Directors are truly money hungry.  There were many days that would go by that the Director Harley wouldnt buy imporant food staples that we needed in the house because he believed that we needed to pray them in.  I mean these are students whose paretns are paying over 1000 dollars a month for their students to be here and you wont go buy milk??? I think there is something completely wrong with that.  Any time the Directors would take a vacation or go out of town they would make sure that they went and visited a Teen Challenge so that they could write their vacation off as Business and use the Ministry's money to pay for thier travels.  SO they wouldn't buy the girls Milk but they would take vacations on the Parent's and Donaters dime.  I would seroulsy pray hard before you send your daughter to this program.  Please look into other places before you go here.  I was manipulated so much while I worked here.  Harley and Lisa would make you think that they loved you but then they would turn around and yell at you and control you so badly.  Harley wanted to control all the staff's facebook accounts.  He wanted to know who our friends were and we couldn't have certain people on our friend's and he also would watch everything we posted on there.  There was no free choice while i worked at this program.  While I was theree I watched all the original staff leave because of Harley and Lisa's behavior.  It''s so sad honestly.  It breaks my heart that they are allowed to continue doing what they are doing.  The program may have helped some students but how many of them are actually still following what was taught to them?? There are no life skills taught in this program.  I could keep going on and on about how this program is wrong in every way.  NO matter what other people write on here about this being a good program they are WRONG.  I was there first hand and had first hand experience.  I knew all the politics of the program.  I knew what went on behind closed doors.  Trust me DO NOT SEND YOUR DAUGHTER HERE!!!!

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#3 Consumer Comment

the road to h*** is paved with good intentions

AUTHOR: ------ - ()

POSTED: Thursday, January 23, 2014

I was a student at teen challenge from 2009-2010. I graduated that October and first I want to state thay I wouldnt take back that year for anything. Harley and Lisa im sure had wonderful intentions. But I left there with a new set of problems. There was no preparation to enter back in to the real world. I had a panic attack my first day home because my mom asked me where I wanted to eat and I hadnt made a single decision for myself in a year. In EATC you either conform and get with the program or they make your life hell, mock you, ridicule you, and embarrass you. I came to EATC a non-believer. That year challenged me and at my weakest times god was the only one to be there for me. I have kept in contact with almost every girl I was there with and we all share the same feelings about it. They didnt shun me when I first graduated not until I came to them asking for help and told them my struggles...i never heard from them after that. Even a former staff member told me that when it comes to the admissions process, they will chose the girl whos parents can pay more over the lesser. Harley would make us roam streets going door to door asking for money that was part of us fundraising our own tuition...which none of it went towards. That year was all about putting on a front; doing what ever necessary to stay sane and not be miserable. I have never been more forced into my savior than I was there. Forced to raise hands while we worshipped and forced to pray before I even knew anything. Your spiritual state is a CHOICE or it should be. Like I said I wouldnt take the year back for anything, thats how I started a beautiful relationship with the holy spirit but forced worship isnt okay to anyone. Intimidation to fall in line and scaring young girls [manipulation] to be what you want is cruel. I graduated almost 4 years ago and im still struggling. One student who worked in the kitchen got bacon grease in her eye my accident and they told her she couldnt trll her parents on her phone call because that would be concidered manipulation...does that sound right? They told our parents we would lie to get out so that they wouldnt believe anything we said. Manipulation was a veryyyyyy frequently used word by the staff, and they themselves were the prime and main manipulators.

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#2 REBUTTAL Owner of company

eastern teen challenge saves lives

AUTHOR: john gordon - ()

POSTED: Monday, September 30, 2013

Samantha i would say you are a liar and need help. I know these people personally an Harley Cox and his wife are wondercul peoe who help change many lives for the better. I am. Graduate pf the male teen chalenge in WV and i also had to dig stumps  and it helped me learn discipline. Sounds like your angry because you couldnt hack it. Further more the very fact you say a statement like tje.director is having onappropriate relations witb out proof discrredits everything else you said. Vrow up and take responsibility for your actions.

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#1 General Comment

EATC changed my life for the better

AUTHOR: Coryn - ()

POSTED: Saturday, September 07, 2013

I went to EATC when I was 17 years old. I suffered from many behavior issues amongst other things. When I arrived I was one of the first few girls that entered the program. In the beginning of the program I had a slight understanding of God, but I did not believe. I was the first person to graduate from EATC and I would not be where I am today, or be the person I am if it wasnt for EATC. I now have over 4 years without any drugs or alcohol and that is a gift from God. I am a productive member of society and have healthy relationships with my family that I have never had before which I attribute to teen challenge. As a matter of fact I was just informing a friend of mine last night who is familiar with teen challenge about how it changed my life. When I went there I was defiant, rude, disrepectful towards other people and to myself. I learned so much during my year stay there, I learned how to love myself and others and to try to show Christ's love as much as I could. I wanted to radiate God's love and compassion like the owners did in trying to help save young women's lives. During my stay there, yes I was consequenced for my bad behaviors. But it was nessicary discipline so I could learn to grow and right from wrong. I dug up stumps, it made me stronger mentally. I turned 18 while in the program and could have left if I wanted to, but I stayed, because I loved it there. I had never learned so much, I felt loved. They were my family. I never performed sexual acts, nor was that a fear of mine. The owner was nothing less than a father figure to me and the other girls. I am still in contact with some of the girls and we share our love for God, EATC, and laugh and reminiscence on the amazing memories we created there. I am positive I am who I am today because of EATC, and thats when my walk with God started.

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