The Father That Didn’t Give Up: Alex’s Journey

How Alex found strength, stability, and purpose through fatherhood, coaching, and second chances.

When Alex Chapa became a father at 16, he knew his life would change forever. One thing was for certain: Alex promised himself he would be there for his children. That promise was powerful but not an easy one.

Early Struggles, Early Strength

As Alex remembers, he grew up in Grand Island under his maternal grandmother’s care up until the third grade.

A transition brought him back under his mother’s care, and life became chaotic. “She was doing her best. She worked hard, but she also struggled,” Alex remembers. “I learned at an early age to be independent. Taking care of myself. Taking care of my sisters. Cooking, cleaning, doing our laundry, stuff like that.”

His father wasn’t a part of his daily life. “Growing up without a dad took a pretty big toll on me,” Alex shared. “I was angry. Respecting men was hard.”

By age 12, Alex had gotten into trouble, and his home situation kept getting more challenging. So much so that a friend’s grandparents offered Alex an opportunity to move in with them—two people he affectionately calls “Grandma and Grandpa” to this day. “Rick stepped in when no one else did. He taught me how to be a man,” Alex shared. “He knew I needed an example of how to be a man.”

Through those tough years, Alex kept pushing forward. A promising wrestler, he earned a scholarship opportunity, but life came at him fast. At 16, he welcomed his first child, a boy. At 19, he became a father again to a daughter. After high school, the reality of raising a family on a single income hit hard. The pressure mounted, and with it came battles with addiction, unstable housing, and a loss of identity. “There were years when I wasn’t really present—even if I was physically there,” Alex admits.

A Turning Point—Tired of Being Tired

Plenty of people were telling him that he needed help. He admits that he was tired, tired from the instability. When Alex decided to stop running from and face life head-on, he agreed to accept help, a decision that takes humility and strength.

“I couldn’t see a future. I knew something had to change, for me and for them,” Alex shares.

Alex was introduced to Amber Alvarado, a PALS Coach with Central Plains Center for Services, through a referral for housing support. “From our first meeting, I felt like she cared, he said. “I was honest about everything—my addiction, where I was at—and she didn’t judge me. She just said, “Let’s get to work.”

As a Transitional and Independent Living Coach (PALS Coach), Amber receives referrals for young adults who could benefit from coaching services. The PALS program is funded by Nebraska Children and Families Foundation’s Connected Youth Initiative (CYI) and managed by Central Plains Center for Services. The PALS coaching program is a one-on-one coaching support to help and guide young adults in all aspects of life, including educational attainment, housing, employment, transportation, health, and community engagement. The program aims to develop meaningful and trusting relationships between a coach and young adults to pair them with resources and opportunities to help them thrive.

“It took the change in my mindset to finally see the resources available to me and accept them rather than running away from them,” Alex reflects. “Last year was the first year I was in a residence for the full year. It feels great. I was always jumping from house to house, couch to couch, and being able to be in a home for that long was a big boost for me. To have that space for my kids to call their home was important.”

A Coaching Relationship with a Focus on Fatherhood

From the start, Amber saw potential. “He was open, honest, and ready. You don’t always get that,” she shared. “We talk about fatherhood in a way I don’t get to with most people. He’s realizing he gets to define what kind of dad he is.”

Amber took a strengths-based approach, meeting Alex where he was, encouraging his goals, and reminding him—again and again—that he mattered.

“He’s realizing that he has a say in what his relationships with his kids look like,” Amber said. “He’s making them a priority.”

Alex has gained access to resources such as groceries and rent support through the coaching program. But more than that, he found stability, confidence, and clarity. “Amber helped me understand that even as a dad, I matter,” he said. “That’s not something I believed as a young father.”

Alex participated in support programs including the Opportunity Passport™ program. Through the Connected Youth Initiative, in partnership with the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative, the Opportunity Passport^TM program is a coaching curriculum that promotes financial literacy and asset-building and is offered statewide. Participants work one-on-one with a coach to achieve economic stability and self-sufficiency by focusing on increasing earning potential, budgeting, reducing debt, opening personal banking accounts, understanding and appropriately utilizing credit, saving, and investing. 

“I couldn’t believe in the program at first,” Alex shared. Getting back on his feet has made saving difficult, but Alex remains optimistic that he will soon be making great strides to qualifying for the match. Upon completion of the financial literacy course, participants receive $100 to kickstart their savings and can be eligible for up to $6,000 of matched funds.

“Amber has helped me out quite a bit,” Alex shares. “When we meet up, we just have a great conversation. She doesn’t judge me. She cares, fully. She’s been a big influence in my life.” That has been a positive result of accepting help.

On the Road to Stability

One of the areas that gave Alex another support on his road to stability was finding his way back to a promising job in farming and mechanics—an interest that first sparked while living with Rick and spending time at Rick’s diesel shop. Those early lessons stuck with him. Today, he’s working for a family friend, who values his skills, and believes in Alex’s future.

“He’s invested in me, and not just as a worker,” Alex says. “He wants to see me grow, and that means a lot.” The relationship is more than just a job; it’s a source of pride, trust, and mutual respect, something Alex doesn’t take for granted.

Becoming the Father He Promised to Be

Today, Alex plays an active role in his children’s lives. There is pride in his eyes as he describes them.

For Alex, fatherhood isn’t about perfection but being present, loving, and intentional.

“Growing up, I didn’t have that. I was raised in a strict, abusive home. I knew early on I had to make a conscious choice to break the cycle. It wasn’t always easy, but I knew what I didn’t want my kids to go through.”

That decision changed everything. Alex chose to parent on his own terms, not by repeating what was modeled for him, but by building something better.

“I raise my kids with respect, not fear. I parent the way I wish I’d been parented.”

Alex is no longer the overwhelmed, guarded boy he once was. He’s no longer trying to avoid life. He’s learning, growing, and showing up for his kids, with patience, presence, and love. He’s demonstrating that it’s okay to ask for help and lean on others.

Moving Forward, With Purpose

Alex continues to work with Amber as he builds towards a stable future. His dreams aren’t flashy: they’re solid. He wants to be the consistent, supportive presence that his kids can count on.

“I want my kids to remember that I never gave up. Even when I was struggling, I was trying. That I loved them,” Alex reflects.

Amber agrees that Alex’s story is worth telling. “Fathers matter,” she said. “Especially healthy, supportive ones. And Alex is showing up, even when it’s hard. That’s what makes all the difference.”

Why This Story Matters

With support, courage, and a willingness to try again, fathers like Alex are changing what fatherhood looks like.

They are breaking cycles.
They are building stronger futures.
They are showing the next generation what it means to stay.

More About Connected Youth Initiative

Alex’s experience with the Connected Youth Initiative and its partner, Central Plains Center for Services, has provided invaluable support and opportunities to thrive. Nebraska Children’s Connected Youth Initiative works to empower young people to create change to improve the quality of life for young people who have experience in foster care, the juvenile justice system, are unhoused or homeless, survivors of human trafficking, and/or who are pregnant or parenting by advocating for better practices and policies, training providers to strengthen local practices, and supporting service providers in the community to implement strength-based, youth-led core programs for transition-aged youth.

More About Nebraska Children and Families Foundation:

Nebraska Children and Families Foundation aims to strengthen communities so all children, young people, and families thrive. An important component to achieving this reality is ensuring that parents/caregivers and young people with experience in government systems can be a part of community growth. This is done by committing to co-creating empowering spaces with and for young people to engage and lead in our organization and across Nebraska.

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