GREENVILLE, Ohio – According to the Family and Youth Services Bureau, one in 10 children will experience abuse, neglect or other harsh challenges by the time they’re 18 years old. 

Michael’s House in Darke County provides a one-stop-shop safe space for troubled boys. It supplies support and resources for individuals seeking treatment and guidance for various challenges they may be facing. The center focuses on holistic care and personalized treatment plans, offering a safe and welcoming environment for individuals to explore their options and work toward their goals. Michael’s House is operated by the Darke County Juvenile Court, which is responsible for its management and services.

“There’s a lot of idle time for these boys when they get out of school each day,” said Darke County Commissioner and farm bureau member Matt Aultman.

Aultman reached out to fellow farm bureau member Mark Longenecker for assistance. Longenecker had experience working with troubled youth when he worked fulltime at the 15-bed residential David L. Brown facility in Miami County. The facility was operated by the Miami County Juvenile Court and served males ages 12-18 before closing in 2017.

“I worked there for 15 years,” said Longenecker, also a 2021 Ohio Master Farmer award winner. “At my own residence I operated a commercial orchard with 20 trees on the property. At that time, I hosted the boys from David L. Brown and showed them the ins and outs of tending to fruit trees.

“Here at Michael’s House, I’m doing similar. I’m an avid gardener and just wanted to lend a hand by giving the boys a reason to go out and get active rather than be cooped up in a building after school hours. And, I’ve seen the boys enjoy watering, weeding, pruning, planting….and seeing their efforts turn into a grown product.”

Nine boys meet at Michael’s House each weekday after school. They can still shoot basketball, watch television or do their homework, but Longenecker wants to broaden their interests and skills.

 Already Longenecker has introduced to the boys such things as gardening, honeybees, tending to orchards and harvesting. Pruning is a natural for Longnecker, who at times has led fruit tree pruning clinics for Darke County Farm Bureau members.

Before moving to southwest Ohio, Longenecker was a teacher in the Cleveland Public Schools. In 1966, he was a vocational horticulturist.

“At that time Cleveland was big into having school gardens, and there were many plots of lands in and around Cleveland where the kids could gather and work the many gardens,” he said.

When Longenecker made the move from northeast Ohio to southwest Ohio, he was able to share his experiences in horticulture, only this time with troubled youth at the David L. Brown facility.

“The boys were shown things they may have never seen in their lives,” Longenecker said. “The boys helped me tap trees and make maple syrup. They were amazed that some juice from a tree could produce a tasty product. In the end, we’d have pancake breakfasts at the end of the tapping season. Teaching them gardening is one thing, but having them tend to an orchard is another.”

Also at the Brown facility, Longenecker taught the boys the art of tending to honeybees and extracting honey. At the facility’s orchard, the boys were taught how to pit cherries and make pies. The boys were also shown how to grow and harvest sweet corn and asparagus.

“I encouraged the boys to enter their produce at the Miami County Fair,” Longenecker said. “Their eyes lit up after learning they earned ribbons for their efforts.”

Longenecker often took the boys on field trips to dairy farms to witness the milking and breeding procedures.

Michael’s House has eight raised garden beds, where sweet corn, cucumbers, zucchini, potatoes, tomatoes and onions are grown. The plan is to expand to 16 garden beds.

“The local farm bureau and area churches pitch in to purchase supplies for us, things such as soil, wood, tools and seed we need,” Longenecker said. “All the food the boys grow in the beds are then harvested and taken into the facility’s kitchen, where the food they eat comes from their gardens. Most of the kids enjoy the gardening, but not all of them. Not every kid likes to get his hands dirty.”

Mark’s distant relative, Rob Longenecker, serves as the facility’s cook.

“Our goal is to get 4-H education out at Michael’s House,” Aultman added. “Not a 4-H club, but 4-H programming. We want to foster literacy, maybe even have a chick program. Something other than just schoolwork at the end of the day.”