AURORA #- Freedom Village, a home for troubled teens, bills itself as an “intensive care ward for America's youth.”

Since opening in 1981, the home, located just north of Watkins Glen, has changed the lives of thousands of teenagers. Adolescents the world over come to the 150-acre campus after escaping abusive homes, drug addiction and suicide attempts.

To share its message with the public, Freedom Village has three music groups, which share the umbrella title “Trophies of Grace.” They sing and give testimonies at churches and community events in the area.

New Life, the newest of the groups, recently gave a moving performance at Faith Assembly of God, a church on Poplar Ridge Road in Aurora. The concert consisted of eight of the home's residents who interspersed contemporary Christian songs with their personal life stories.

“We've had at least one music ministry group for about 20 years now,” said Sarah Cope, the group's director. “Our first one was in such high demand that we started another one, and the same thing happened with it ... now we have three,” she said.

Freedom Village has centers in the U.S., Canada and the Ukraine, and youths are often given the option to attend the homes in lieu of a prison sentence. “Our residents are highly supervised at all times ... going out with groups like New Life is a real privilege for them,” Cope said.

Sunday's performance was also a privilege for those attending, as the choir, which consisted of four males and four females, sang songs like “Keep the Candle Burning,” “I'm Saved” and “Orphans of God.”

Perhaps a perfect example of the home's positive influence on teens was testimony given by Mike R., who at 23 years old is the group's oldest member. “Freedom Village caused some fantastic changes in my life,” he told the audience.

The young man, who led a turbulent childhood marred by heroin addiction and abusive parents, came to the home at age 17. Six years later, Mike is a “permanent” resident of the village, having joined its staff after finishing his residency there.

In addition, he said, he got married five months ago. “Coming to (Freedom Village) led me to God, and that's the best thing anyone can hope for,” he said.

On the other end of the spectrum, 17-year-old Nicole M. is the choir's youngest singer, and just began traveling with the group. Having lived at Freedom Village for a little more than a year, her story was similar to Mike's.

“My brother was a terrible influence on me ... he gave me my first cigarette when I was only 5,” she said. After coming to the home, she became a Christian, which she said has made all the difference.

“All my life, I've been made to feel worthless ... now I just don't feel that way anymore,” she said.