Freedom Day is what Larry calls October 3rd, the day in 1966 when he first arrived on Nexus-Woodbourne Family Healing’s campus, looking for a path forward. Nearly sixty years later, on that same date, he walked through those familiar doors once again.
“This place changed my life,” Larry said, standing in the entryway where he had first been welcomed by caring staff. Same building, same feeling, a sense of peace. He spoke softly as he reflected on the people who had helped shape him and the opportunities that began on that day and beyond.
New opportunities and possibilities
Larry’s journey began in hardship. Born in Akron, Ohio, and moved to Maryland, he spent his early years in four different foster homes starting at age 8. The first foster home was very abusive, as well as the last one that led him to confide with another social worker who realized she had to act immediately. At age 14, Larry was brought to what is now Nexus-Woodbourne, and for him, it marked both an ending and a beginning. “It was overwhelming,” he remembered, “but also such a relief. For the first time, I felt like I had possibilities.”
When he arrived with little more than a few clothes, the staff gave him two extra T-shirts, a couple pairs of jeans, and some deodorant. During his four years in residential care, Larry found not just stability but inspiration from the program and staff. He thrived in school. His favorite subjects were social studies, music, and French. He loved to learn and explore which set Larry on a lifelong path of curiosity and adventure. It’s a reminder of how a program like this and the caring people behind it can help someone find direction and get their foot in the door for a lifetime of possibilities.
That sense of curiosity took him around the world. In 1967, he traveled with the school on two trips to Canada. He also spent two months as a foreign exchange student in Brazil. This was the first time he felt genuinely cared for and part of a family. Though he didn’t speak Portuguese when he arrived, with the help of a dictionary and his host family, he began to learn. “That experience showed me what normal family life could look like,” he said.
After his trip to Brazil, he returned to the campus, graduated high school in 1970 and went on to study at Georgetown University, majoring in Portuguese. His love for Brazil grew over the years as he traveled back more than fifteen times. Traveling became a lifelong passion and a reminder of the hope and the same freedom he felt when he first arrived on our doorstep. Today, at 73, he’s planning a move to Nice, France, a new chapter full of discovery, culture, and connection.
Reflecting on his journey, Larry describes himself as “resilient, curious, and independent.” When asked to describe Woodbourne, he doesn’t hesitate: “Possibility, freedom, and safety.” He believes those three words still define what the organization offers youth today.
“October 3rd will always be my Freedom Day,” Larry said with a smile. “It was the day I was given a chance to live, to learn, and to see the world differently. Woodbourne gave me the possibility and I took advantage of it.”