A Summary of WWASP - Collected from various sources:
The World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS or WWASP) is a Utah, United States based organization that runs programs that they claim can correct what is perceived as inappropriate behavior by children as young as 12. Parents can sign their children up for these programs at their own discretion. Juveniles can also be admitted to the facilities by court order instead of jail. No distinction is made within the programs among students admitted because of law violations and those signed up by their parents.
Incorporated in Utah, January 8, 1998, WWASP is listed in the corporate records of the state as a domestic non-profit. Under Utah law a "‘Nonprofit corporation’ means a corporation which does not distribute any part of its income to its members, trustees, or officers, and includes a nonprofit cooperative association." Although hoping to be worldwide in scope they are less than a year old and largely unknown outside LaVerkin.
Typically a nonprofit will have a governing body vested with the management of it's affairs, often elected and diversely representative of the members of the charitable organization. For the record, the Executive Director of the WorldWide Association is Karr Farnsworth, former Director of the flagship Lichfield/Facer/Atkin property, Cross Creek Manor and the Board of Directors is J. Ralph Atkin, Robert Lichfield and Brent M. Facer.
Non-profits can be useful to their members in a variety of ways, not the least of which is a vehicle for charitable contributions. If the organization applies for and is granted 501(c)3 status in the United States that makes them a tax exempt organization and thus eligible for donations to them to be tax deductible for the contributing individuals and organizations. This is a good thing.
They can also be used as a way to write-off operating expenses that would otherwise be part of other entities annual expenses such as personnel, travel, printing, etc. With no more information than we currently have (although we have been promised more) it is difficult to make an educated guess as to which category this organization will fall into. Seeing the Board as comprised thus far is not an encouraging sign.
LaVerkin is a tiny "bedroom community" attached to St. George, a small town in Southwestern Utah close to borders with Nevada and Arizona. Known as part of "Red Rock" country, it’s moderate climate, clear air and multiple opportunities for rest, recreation and relaxation make it a haven for a large seasonal population of retirees and "snowbirds". The population of LaVerkin is 2,000 and the Teen Help family of businesses are the city's largest employer.
As grand as this sounds and as delightful as LaVerkin no doubt is, a resident described it to IntrepidNet as a "hiccup on the way to St. George."
Thus is the epicenter of the WorldWide Association of Specialty Programs.
Programs affiliated with WWASP:
• Academy at Ivy Ridge, NY
• Bethel Girls Academy, MS
• Bethel Boys Academy, MS
• Eagle Point Christian Academy, MS
• Canyon View Park, MT
• Camas Ranch, MT
• Carolina Springs Academy, SC
• Cross Creek Programs, UT
• Darrington Academy, GA
• Gulf Coast Academy, MI
• Horizon Academy, NV
• Majestic Ranch, UT
• Midwest Academy, IA
• New Hope Maternity, UT
• Paradise Cove, W. Samoa
• Pillars of Hope, Costa Rica
• Pine View Christian Academy, MS
• Red River Academy, LA
• Royal Gorge Academy, MS
• Sky View Christian Academy, NV
• Spring Creek Lodge, MT
• Tranquility Bay, Jamaica
Marketing entities used by WWASP:
• Teens In Crisis, LLC (marketing arm)
• Help My Teen, UT (marketing arm)
• Teen Help, LLC (marketing arm)
• Lifelines Family Services, UT (marketing arm)
Closed WWASP Programs:
▪ Casa by the Sea in Mexico
▪ Dundee Ranch in Costa Rica
▪ Morava Academy in Czech Republic
▪ Paradise Cove in Western Samoa
▪ Sunrise Beach in Mexico
▪ High Impact in Mexico
Some of the eleven WWASP schools are based in the United States, including Spring Creek Lodge Academy in Montana, the Academy at Ivy Ridge in New York, and Bethel Girls Academy in Mississippi. Others are abroad, such as Tranquility Bay in Jamaica, Casa by the Sea in Mexico (now closed), and the Academy at Dundee Ranch in Costa Rica.
WWASP operates many different websites and is linked to various other organizations, so that an Internet search for "defiant teen" or a similar phrase will likely turn up a WWASP program, rather than the websites of competitors or critics.
WWASP programs have become notorious for allegations of child abuse against the school staff. Notable criticisms include an article published by the New York Times, an article published by Observer Magazine, and sworn testimony by former attendants of their most infamous facility, Tranquility Bay.
The opinions of former WWASP students are divided. Some claim the program saved them from death, while others report psychological trauma from their stay. (In some testimonies former students say, they are required to believe that the program saved them from a terrible fate in order to avoid punishment and gain points. Their stories of what would have happened, if they were not "saved" by the school are vague and strangely resemble each other. (source wikipedia.org)
WWASP founder Robert Lichfield and former President of WWASP Karr Farnsworth met while working at Provo Canyon Boys School. According to news reports, authorities closed Provo Canyon in the late 1970's due February 5, 2007d had been the director of residential living at the school. The facility did reopen and is still in operation today.
Lichfield then moved to La Verkin, Utah where he and partner Brent Facer opened Cross Creek Manor, Inc., (now Cross Creek Manor, LLC) an all-girls facility, in 1990.
In 1991, Robert Lichfield created Teen Help, Inc. (now Teen Help, LLC) to market the school. After associates of Lichfield began opening more schools around the country and abroad, the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools was incorporated in 1998. Robert Lichfield is now a consultant and director for WWASP. Brent Facer is a trustee.
The current president is Ken Kay.
ISAC Note: During sworn testimony in the August 2004 case of WWASPS vs PURE, Ken Kay stated that in his opinion, sexual activity between staff members and students is "not necessarily" abuse.
Ken Kay met Lichfield while working at Brightway Adolescent Hospital, in St. George, Utah. Brightway was a WWASP/Teen Help facility that closed after authorities discovered many of the patient care plans were identical and the staff had failed to report a case of abuse.
WWASP operates as an "umbrella organization," and appears to only endorse facilities that operate according to its guidelines. Promotional packets obtained by ISAC describe each school as offering "all of the services and components required to be a member of the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools."
According to the Utah Department of Commerce, WWASP is listed as a "grantmaking and giving service." The web site for the organization states, "All the Programs and Schools are independently owned and operated, yet follow the same successful Program model that has been developed and refined over numerous years of experience."
Robert Lichfield and J. Ralph Atkin, along with business associates and various members of their families, are very involved in the operations of WWASP.The accounting firm for WWASP, the property managers, referral agencies, "escort" services (companies who physically remove children from their homes and deliver them to the "schools,"), real estate agencies, and the individual programs - which claim to be independently owned and operated - are also easily connected by family ties. (source: isaccorp.org)
The offices of WWASP are listed in LaVerkin, Utah at 105 State Street. The telephone number is listed as 435-635-2327. If you view the a map of LaVerkin, the Cross Creek Manor, WWASP, Resource Realizations and other of the L/F/A Enterprises are all clustered around the Post Office though their addresses appear as diverse as 590 North State Street and 190 South State Street. Sources in the town offices indicate those addresses are about 50 to 100 yards apart......."maybe"
Video clips have been seen of children who were locked in dog cages in the hot Mexican sun at WWASP's High Impact program in Mexico, sometimes for days at a time. High Impact was shut down by the Mexican government for allegations of child neglect and abuse. Although Robert Lichfield, Ken Kay, and Karr Farnsworth will claim High Impact is not a WWASP program, former employees and parents testified they were. An employee testified she was asked not to divulge the program's association with WWASP – she further testified she traveled to High Impact with Ken Kay, president of WWASP, who specifically warned her against divulging its association with WWASP.
