<p>Director Sondra Kerby shows flower baskets to Lori Weaver on Friday during the annual Tonya's House fundraiser on Court Street in Pendleton.</p>

A mothers love comes in many different forms.

Consider Sondra Kerby, who mothers the girls at Tonyas House in Pendleton with tough, genuine love. Currently, four girls live inside the little house on Court Street, a residence for homeless and at-risk teenagers. Kerby serves as the facilitys director, but sees herself and her five staff members more as moms.

I call them my girls, Kerby said.

Some of the teenagers come from families that are imploding. Some are runaways. Others blow out of the foster care system by acting out or hitting the streets.

Kerby knows some of what they are going through. She described her own childhood as a steady stream of stepfathers, which made her childhood a time of constant upheaval.

Kerby became a single mom at age 15. She managed to graduate from high school, earn her associates degree in human services and work a variety of jobs in the field. Six years ago, she came to Tonyas House.

Occasionally, Kerby finds a Mothers Day card or two in the mail from past residents. This year, she opened one from Alicia Williams, who lived at the home for almost two years. The 21-year-old now attends college in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and just earned her Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) degree. She plans to study further to become a registered nurse.

Ive set huge goals for myself, Williams said. That wasnt her trajectory when she arrived at Tonyas House in 2010 from the foster care system where shed been since age 4. Williams, then 16, was initially skeptical.

I was against it at first, she recalled. But I truly had no other choice.

Her feisty facade softened as she soaked in tough love, learned how to cook, budget and grocery shop and did assigned chores written on the white board in the hallway. Eventually, she started caring about school.

I had been ready to be done, to give up and drop out of high school, said Williams, a 2011 Pendleton High School graduate. They pushed us to get our diplomas and make something of ourselves.

When she talks about Kerby, Williams voice softens.

She was like a mom to me, she said. Id do anything for her.

The little three-bedroom house that serves as a temporary home for the girls isnt posh, though its clean and homey. The facility survives on community donations of supplies such as toilet paper, hand soap, shampoo and other items.

The walls are adorned with positive quotations, such as Ghandis Be the change you wish to see in the world, and Reach for the Stars. The posters hang next to cheerful artwork created by former staff members.

Kerby said the girls often come with mental health challenges such as depression or attention-deficit disorder. Some bear psychological scars from abuse.

We give them a home-like environment a place where they feel comfortable and have a sense of belonging, Kerby said.

The girls, age 13 to 18, stay from a couple of days to more than a year. When a new resident arrives, she doesnt have much freedom, at least initially.

They cant run around town, she said. That gets relaxed after they earn trust. If they blow it, it takes a while to earn the trust back.

The staff tracks attendance, grades and homework assignments through the Pendleton High School website.

The girls are encouraged to participate in extracurricular activities such as music, sports, FFA and other clubs. Each year, the group takes a vacation. Destinations have included the coast, Silverwood and Wallowa Lake.

Kerby said the community has somehow gotten the notion that Tonyas House is a home for unwed mothers. Thats not the case.

Thats a big misconception, she said. Not that we wouldnt take a girl who is pregnant, but thats not our focus.

Kerby, who lives across the street from Tonyas House, said her job isnt for someone with thin skin, but it is extremely rewarding.

They can cut you up one side and down the other, but you cant take it personally, she said. Its not really about you its about their frustration.

Williams agreed, expressing gratitude to Kerby and the rest of the staff for not giving up on her.

They believed in me, Williams said. It changed my life.

Tonyas House, founded by Pendleton educator ElRae Wells, started housing girls in 2001. Learn more about Tonyas House at www.tonyahouse.org.

Contact Kathy Aney at kaney@eastoregonian.com or call 541-966-0810.