Distinctly Montana Magazine
Issue link: https://digital.distinctlymontana.com/i/20776
for him, Slone asked his parole officer if he could be placed at the Youth Homes’ Tom Roy Youth Guidance Home. Slone has been at the Tom Roy Youth Guidance Home since July. The home is an eight-bed group home where DISTINCTLY MONTANA | DIGITAL See video of Montana Youth Homes’ wilderness program. Go to www.distinctlymontana.com/montanayouth111 teenagers, ages 16-18, live and receive the care, guidance, and support they need to help them prepare for life on their own. The home sits in front of the farm in a rural part of Missoula. The North Avenue Youth Farm was created to give teenag- ers in care at Youth Homes the opportunity for meaningful work. Under the leadership of Garden City Sloane enjoys a moment while farming. Harvest Farm Manager, Cori Ash, the land was trans- formed from a bare lot of weeds and rocks to a fully func- tioning 2/3 of an acre farm that provides jobs, volunteer opportunities, and food for the Youth Homes and three other nonprofits in the Missoula community. For Slone, the summer was spent doing everything it takes to make a farm run. Slone even learned to drive a tractor. “I love weeding, harvesting, moving pipes and driving the tractor,” Slone said. “I’ve learned how to make things grow, how to harvest, and why things die. “ Slone said working at the farm has taught him what it means to work hard. He said he saw the kids who tried hard and the ones who didn’t and that it helped him rec- ognize why he wanted to be a good worker. With the winter season approaching, life at the farm is winding down. Slone will turn 18 this spring and will have earned his GED. He would like to attend a farming appren- tice school in Santa Cruz, CA, and then return to Montana so he can help people who have had similar experiences. “I want to start a farming program for homeless people,” Slone said. Slone spent the summer working with his hands, his head, and by the end of the season, with his heart. He formed relationships with those he worked with and if he chooses, he has a support system in these people for the rest of his life. Slone also has a path he hopes to follow— one that starts by digging in the earth, planting a seed, and helping it grow. 82 DISTINCTLY MONTANA • WINTER 2011