Vicki's Story       

Teen alcoholism, drug use, chronic running away, negative peer pressure, sexual promiscuity, rebellion, truancy, shoplifting…these are  just 
a few problems Vicki Lyn Robinson,  a forty-nine year old single mother of two teenage girls, faced in June of 1998 and the months preceding. Residing in Tampa, FL, Vicki, a bright, kindhearted, generous and  
compassionate woman was struggling to balance single motherhood, a successful career, a budding romance, growing friendships and her Christian faith in her everyday life. But one aspect of her busy home life was spinning rapidly out of control. Despite hours of teen, pastoral and  professional counseling, communicating, setting curfew and discipline boundaries, attempting to eliminate and discourage alcohol and drug use, and handling legal implications (i.e. enforcing accountability through community service), Vicki was frustrated and emotionally distraught over  fifteen-year-old Valessa's refusal to confront her own rebellious attitudes and turn from her destructive behavior. As Valessa became more unmanageable and began to exhibit signs of violence, Vicki realized that the discipline and care that Valessa needed was beyond her control. It was at that time, she began to consider researching teenage residential 
treatment facilities that would assist her in providing mental health professionals and appropriate discipline while instilling moral values and Christian principles in a non-threatening setting conducive to learning. Vicki faced the challenge of raising an out-of-control teenager in a world where information, guidance, rules, authority, supervision and solutions are difficult to find. Just days prior to Valessa's admission to a Christian girls' treatment center not far from her home town, Valessa, with the assistance of two nineteen-year-old boys, initiated and participated in carrying out the brutal and senseless act of murdering her own mother on June 28, 1998. The Robinson home, what should have been a safe refuge for both Vicki and her daughters, turned into a tragic crime scene. In actuality, the Robinson home, during the course of the prior year, had become a place of growing disrespect, disobedience, hostility, and defiance to authority, power struggles, and verbal abuse. And Vicki was the victim. 

The Vicki Lyn Robinson Foundation 

has been created by family and friends to honor Vicki’s memory as well as provide assistance to other parents, single or otherwise, who are in a family crisis situation because of out-of-control teenagers or children. The Foundation’s main objective is to provide parents with resource information of residential teen treatment centers, family counseling, parental support groups, and other related resources. Our hope is for parents like Vicki to receive updated resource information and assistance that will help prevent a senseless tragedy and create a family environment that can overcome the perils of teenage destructive patterns.