On April 28, the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office will be hosting their 17^th Annual Poker Run. All the proceeds from the event will benefit the Georgia Sheriffs’ Youth Homes, a facility that houses abandoned and neglected children. For many of the home’s young residents, these fundraisers help to maintain a comfortable quality of life that they would otherwise not have. Almost no one knows this better than former youth homes resident Juan Castanon.

“The youth homes gave me a whole different life,” said Castanon. “If I were to have stayed with my family, I would have never gone to college.”

Castanon, now 26, came to the Hahira, Ga. home in 2004 when he was just 11-years-old and in the sixth grade. He remained resident until he graduated high school in 2011. He, along with his brothers, was in and out of foster homes for most of their lives.

“My brothers and I were in a broken home where drugs were involved,” explained Castanon.

According to Castanon, the home nurtured him throughout his difficult transition. He fondly remembers the visits from officers and employees with the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office. They would come for D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) Camps and host Christmas parties with lots of presents for the children.

“During each of the visits, I never wanted the officers to leave because I really enjoyed being around each and every person that would come be with us,” said Castanon.

The home helped Castanon find a talent for cross country running. He eventually cultivated that talent into a college scholarship.

Today, Castanon is married to his wife Lisa and together they have one son, Tobias. He is the Operations  Manager at AMF Savannah Lanes.

“I believe that the group home gave me a better life than I would have had,” he said.