Assistant Family-Teacher Keeps the Focus on Kids

An employee for 17 years, Ray Nelson shares the same passion for Boys Town as he did when he first arrived. 

“Working with the kids makes me so happy, therefore giving me the ability to go make other people happy,” said Nelson. “Although there are ups and downs, as long as you have a commitment to the kids everything else just falls into place.”

Starting his career at Boys Town in 1991, Nelson and his wife Tammy spent their first five years at Boys Town working as Family-Teachers, living with six to eight youth in a home and creating a family environment while fulfilling their treatment needs.  Nelson then worked as a shift manager at the Treatment Group Home and later as a behavioral tech at the Boys Town Intensive Residential Treatment Center.

Now working as an Assistant Family-Teacher, Nelson floats between four different homes helping Family-Teachers care for 32 youth.  He said he considers himself an uncle to the kids, as he assists them with schoolwork, helps cook dinner, or simply talks with them about their day.  Throughout all the teachings, Nelson tries to instill in the kids to simply “live life to the fullest and to not take things so seriously.” 

Knowing many of the children come from troubled pasts, Nelson strives to show them they have the ability to improve their lives and environments.  By helping teach the kids proper social skills, it is his hope the kids will learn to make better choices as to what environment they want to live in, what type of work they want to get into, and what type of person they want to become.

Most importantly, Nelson loves to watch the kids do well.   “I don’t want to be known as a person that did a lot of things but if I have the ability to help one kid, then I consider myself successful,” he said.

For more information on becoming a Family-Teacher, call Boys Town’s Human Resources Department at 1.800.321.4171.