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Girls turn around their lives at PACE

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By Carl  Orth | The Suncoast News

Published: June 14, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY - The girls aren't bad, they've had bad things happen to them.

So spoke Danielle Taylor-Fagan, executive director of the PACE Center for Girls, which celebrated its 10th anniversary this week in helping troubled teen girls turn around their lives.

With state budget cuts of 10 percent and more expected, Taylor-Fagan told about 200 supporters at the Friends of PACE Breakfast that the center relies on private donations more than ever.

Chelsea took the stage to tell the crowd about her success story after getting help at PACE. She had turned to drugs in her early teens and then started cutting herself to try to draw attention.

She still tended to hang out with the wrong crowd even after counselors started assisting her.

The realization dawned one day on Chelsea that if she continued on this path she could easily wind up dead. PACE taught her to love and appreciate herself. She graduated last year and intends to go to college.

Other testimonials abounded, reflecting the center's motto, "Believing in Girls."

"PACE is not just a school, it is a second family to most of us," Amber said in a quote on a bulletin board.

A "PACE Mom," Cynthia, said "I hate to think where my daughter would be if it were not for PACE. Their excellent staff diligently stood by us during the most crucial time in my daughter's life. This alternative program was more than just a school - it was a family."

Another student, Brandy, commented: "Like most teenagers, I acted like I knew all the answers before you asked the questions. Deep down I knew I had no answers and that's what scared me the most … not knowing. PACE gave me answers. They gave me hope."

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