BEEVILLE—Life has not been easy for 18-year-old Alex Dumont, but don't expect to find him feeling sorry for himself. People who know him best describe him as a strong, generous, compassionate soul with a grateful heart and tender spirit—someone who embraces life fully and always wears a smile, in spite of the losses and challenges he has faced.
Alex Dumont found a place where he feels at home in South Texas Children's Home Ministries' Faith Cottage with April and Jason Batley. (STCHM PHOTO)
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"Things were really hard for Alex at his home in Abilene the last couple of years before his mom died," said his aunt, Cecelia Tarr. "My sister was a single mom with three boys, and she struggled most of her whole life. Alex was the youngest and his two brothers were much older. They moved from place to place, didn't have a lot of money and sometimes not much to eat."
Alex was only 9 when his mother died, and he went to live with his Aunt Cecelia and her two sons. His uncle, Glenn Killam, talked to her about Alex's future. Killam and his wife Patty both work at South Texas Children's Home Ministries, and he suggested placing Alex there.
When Alex first walked into Faith Cottage to live with his new houseparents, Jason and April Batley, he noticed a collection of angels.
"Alex's mom had collected angels," Killam recalled. "And his new housemom collected things, too. It was like a sign that he belonged, and he immediately began calling his houseparents Mom and Pop."
Alex felt uneasy at first, but he quickly overcame his apprehension.
"I was nervous to begin with when I first came, but my houseparents have always made this feel like home to me. I could tell that they weren't going to give up on me and I wasn't going to give up on them," he said.
"Alex had a lot of struggles initially because he had missed so much school, but he has adapted well," Batley said. "Alex is outgoing and friendly and always wants to be a part of everything. It has been a real blessing to have him with us. A lot of kids go home for visits, and they have a mom or a dad there, but Alex doesn't. He also lost his grandmother in 2009 and an uncle in 2010. We know we'll definitely still be Mom and Pop to Alex after he graduates, and that's fine with us."
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Alex and several other South Texas Children's Home Ministries students participated in a mission trip to the Dominican Republic this year with the children's home Student Ministry Director Becky Moore. Funding from of the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions made the trip possible.
The experience allowed him to "be a leader and not just a follower," Alex said. "The mission trip was life-changing. It was my first time to fly and my first time out Texas."
Life at South Texas Children's Home Ministries has benefited Alex physically, mentally and spiritually, Killam said. "The discipline and structure he receives here have made all the difference in the world."
His aunt agrees.
"Without God and STCHM, Alex wouldn't be the wonderful, loving young man he is today," Cecelia Tarr said. "He will be the first and only one in his family to graduate from high school. I know his mom and grandma would be proud of how Alex has grown up. And we are all proud of him too."
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