Facility profile Utah

Abundant Life Academy

Closed Kanab, Utah

Abundant Life Academy was a therapeutic boarding school in Kanab, Utah. It operated from 2000 to 2014.

Incidents on record

  1. 2004 Closure order

    In 2004 Mexican authorities raided the Chapala program for not complying with sanitary regulations; 17 American youths without proper documents were sent back to the U.S. and both Mexico programs closed.source

  2. May 2005 Investigation

    In May 2005 child protective services removed 33 teenagers from the Nevada campus after abuse and neglect reports; a jury later found the state lacked reasonable grounds, and in 2009 a judge ruled the CPS official immune from civil liability.source

  3. September 2007 Restraint

    A former student's sworn statement given to HEAL (stay 9/2007 to 8/2008) alleged staff used unnecessary take-downs including choking and slamming a student's head into the ground.source

  4. November 2009 Lawsuit

    HEAL said audio of a November 13, 2009 hearing in a lawsuit over abuses and removal of children from the program is available; HEAL said the former judge decided to shut the program down.source

  5. Reported February 2010 Incident

    A former student's statement to HEAL alleged students tried to commit suicide at the program.source

  6. Reported February 2010 Abuse

    A former student's statement alleged phone calls were supervised and cut off if a student criticized the program.source

  7. Reported July 2012 Closure order

    HEAL stated the program had been closed by Mexican authorities for child abuse.source

  8. 2013 Incident

    A 2013 ex-staff review alleges the owner stole money from the school and that paychecks bounced.source

  9. Reported July 2025 Lawsuit

    HEAL stated the state of Utah filed suit against the program and repeatedly took children out of it.source

  10. Reported July 2025 Closure order

    HEAL stated the owners were chased out of Mexico for violating child abuse laws there.source

Staff

Administration

  • Greg Hitchcock

    Principal, Board Member, Corporate Officer (2010)source

    Elsewhere in the industry

  • Paul Branning

    Chairman of the Board (2012)source

  • David Goode

    Program Director, Owner/operator (2019, HEAL)source

  • Penny Frank

    Executive Director (2026, r/troubledteens wiki)source

    Elsewhere in the industry

  • Craig Rogers

    Co-Founder and Executive Director, Executive Director, CEO, Director of Marketing, Executive Director, Founder and CEO (2000-2012, r/troubledteens wiki)source

    Elsewhere in the industry

    • Rite of Passage of Nevada Social Worker Supervisor, 1998
    • Wingate Wilderness Executive Director of Digital Marketing, 2011
    • Wingate Wilderness Therapy Executive Director of Digital Marketing, 2011
    • Wwasps Staff, before 2012
    • Zion Educational Systems Staff, 2012
    • Positive Impact Program Director, before 2025
    • Positive Impact RTC cofounder, program director
    • ROP Nevada social work supervisor
    • Rite of Passage, Inc
    • Koinonia Foster Homes program director

  • Wendy Rogers

    Co-Founder (2000, r/troubledteens wiki)source

    Elsewhere in the industry

  • Marek Helstrom

    Executive Director (Former) (2019, HEAL)source

Notable staff

Documents

Documents on file (5)
Woodbury Reports Mentions (2)
Merged from: Remuda East (2)
Woodbury Reports Mentions (2)
Merged from: SunHawk Academy (1)
Woodbury Reports Mentions (1)

From the Unsilenced archive

46 documents about Abundant Life Academy that Unsilenced collected and Kids Over Profits does not hold a copy of. They open on Unsilenced's Google Drive. Their whole folder: Abundant Life Academy.

Documents (46)

Research notes

  • Owner: purchased by Paul Branning about a year before November 2012; Branning assumed Chairman of the Board
  • Length of stay: 12-18 months (r/troubledteens wiki, page "Abundant Life Academy" (as of 2026-01-07))
  • Cost: around $4,500 per month ($55,000 per year) (r/troubledteens wiki, page "Abundant Life Academy" (as of 2026-01-07))
  • Note: graduation only on last day of each month; no tuition refund (HEAL, Abundant Life Academy Exposed! (archived 2012-07-12))
  • Note: a former student reports being held there Sept 2007 to Aug 2008 (statement dated March 2009) (HEAL, Abundant Life Academy Exposed! (archived 2010-02-01))
  • Note: also known as Xtreme Faith Academy, Inc. (HEAL, Abundant Life Academy Exposed! (archived 2012-07-12))
  • Campus: program in the Czech Republic (r/troubledteens wiki, page "Abundant Life Academy" (as of 2026-01-07))
  • Cost: $41,250 plus first prorated month, with extras bringing it to over $50,000 per HEAL (HEAL, Abundant Life Academy Exposed! (archived 2012-07-12))
  • Length of stay: 9 to 18 months per enrollment agreement (HEAL, Abundant Life Academy Exposed! (archived 2012-07-12))
  • Campus: Georgia campus at 236 Leadership Ln, Jesup, GA (r/troubledteens wiki, page "Abundant Life Academy" (as of 2026-01-07))
  • Note: earlier location Kanab, UT; formerly shut down in Mexico (HEAL, staff list for Abundant Life Academy (archived 2011-04-30))
  • Campus: second Mexico campus near Guadalajara (r/troubledteens wiki, page "Abundant Life Academy" (as of 2026-01-07))
  • Campus: Kanab, UT campus at 220 N 300 W (r/troubledteens wiki, page "Abundant Life Academy" (as of 2026-01-07))
  • Campus: Nevada campus near Ely (Hidden Canyon Ranch) (r/troubledteens wiki, page "Abundant Life Academy" (as of 2026-01-07))
  • Cost: $41,250 plus first prorated month (Utah enrollment agreement) (HEAL, staff list for Abundant Life Academy (archived 2025-07-22))
  • Former location: Mexico (HEAL, staff list for Abundant Life Academy (archived 2025-07-22), source)
  • Note: not marketed as therapeutic; offered no mental health service (r/troubledteens wiki, page "Abundant Life Academy" (as of 2026-01-07))
  • Type: Therapeutic Boarding School (source)
  • Ages 12-18 (r/troubledteens wiki, page "Abundant Life Academy" (as of 2026-01-07), source)

Wiki entries

Materials and links

External links

A program's own website is linked as an archived snapshot, so the page reads as it did when it was captured.

Survivor posts and discussion

Record updated . Generated from the Kids Over Profits facility database. Suggest a correction