And it's home to thousands who didn't know there could be safety in that word. The staff helps the girls find a second chance, and they get one for themselves in return.

"I want, like I said, to feel good about myself when I come home. To feel that my life and my work have meaning," said Marty Henness, Girls Town House Manager.

It must be worthwhile, otherwise, what's the point?

"I know they don't do it for the money. They do it because its where the heart is," said Kathy Becker, Girls Town Executive Director.

You don't work with troubled girls day in and day out if its not worth it.

"If we don't do a good job, the reality for these girls is really bad. And if we fail, the girls are going to fail," said Randy Wybrant, Girls Town Recreation Director.

It's not just a home, but a community for girls who deserve more than they've been dealt.

"We don't want to be an institution; we don't want to be just another place for them to live. We'd like to be a family to them while they're here," explained Blaine Bredeman, Girls Town Director of Development.

Marty Henness has been a house mother for 13 years. She's taught the girls everything.

"How to do makeup; how to wear their hair. You teach them how to take their school very seriously; what their future will be; to let go of the past, and look to the future," said Henness.

The last lesson is sometimes the hardest.

"When you hear their life story, and you just wonder how they could possibly ever recover from the things that they've been through. If they can even accomplish reaching a normal status in society then that's an amazing accomplishment for some of these kids," said Bredeman.

But with the help of Girls Town, many do.

"We just bring the girls out here and try to start building from scratch," said Bredeman.

The girls come to live on the 20 acres nestled along Highway 70. They either go to school on-campus or mainstream into public school.

"Our school is actually an extension of the North Callaway School District. We share our curriculum with them," explained Bredeman. "They actually provide our teachers for us, and most of our materials."

And the staff encourages them to participate in school clubs, sports, and even prom.

"They've got to be part of the community; they can't be isolated. They've got to learn to become a normal citizen," said Kathy Becker.

Part of that normalcy comes with recreation. And then there's Randy Wybrant. He's the father of four boys.

"And I have about 40 more girls that I kinda count as my own also," said Randy. He is one of the first men to work at Missouri Girls Town. He's more than just the recreation director, he's a fatherly figure.

"They need a positive male influence. I check up on them at the high school and make sure who they're walking around with is good enough for them," said Randy. Being active is the name of his game. "I teach them how to play chess; checkers; a lot of ping pong. We have a little cooking class. I didn't get this way running track so I like to teach the girls how to cook, and it's something that everybody should learn how to do."

The staff believes in the girls, which is something they may not be used to.

"Every girl has potential, no matter who they are. We need to find their strengths and work on those," said Becker.

"That's what I preach everyday: We can't change what was, but we can change where you're going," said Henness.

The success stories make it worth it.

"They say if it wasn't for Girls Town, I don't know where I'd be today. And that's all it takes," said Becker.

It must be worthwhile.

"At the end of each day, be it a good day or a bad day, you have to be able to go home and say to yourself - that was worthwhile today. That was worthwhile," said Henness.

Missouri Girls Town is licensed to care for 56 girls. To help the girls adjust to society when they're ready, the staff puts them to work at "Yours, Mine and Ours" - a second-hand shop in Fulton.

The state provides 70 percent of the money needed to fund Girls Town. The rest comes from private donors.