These brothers were able to stay together, grow together and turn their lives around together at the Masonic Children’s Home.
Brothers Jacob and Jesse Goranson have always been together – through the best and worst of times. “Our lives before the children’s home were very uncertain,” Jesse says.
Born in Santa Clarita, California (a suburb of Los Angeles), the boys, along with their mother and sister, moved to Pennsylvania when they were in middle school.
“Los Angeles is a lot more crowded and polluted than Pennsylvania – which is cheaper, and a lot more green,” Jacob said.
Unfortunately, the beautiful surroundings could only do so much to improve their family situation. By high school, things had gotten to a point where Jacob and Jesse needed the children’s home.
“Being at the children’s home was the best thing that ever happened to us,” Jesse said, “even though it was a dramatic lifestyle change.” Whenever Jesse says this, Jacob is always quick to add, “for the better.”
One thing that eased the initial hardship of adjusting to a new place with new people was the fact that they still had each other. Jesse and Jacob roomed together in Weller Cottage, so they were able to talk and watch movies together, just as they had always done. Soon, they settled in and started making new friends and memories.
“When we came, it was the 100th anniversary of the children’s home, so they went all out. They flew us to Disney, which was fun because we’d never stayed in a resort before. It was our first real vacation,” Jesse said.
The trip was particularly special to Jacob and Jesse because of their interest in the film industry. Now enrolled at Penn State’s Harrisburg campus, the brothers are involved in the campus’ brand new theater program. So far, they have been part of two productions.
Jacob will be the first student to graduate from Penn State Harrisburg with a theater minor, which he is working on completing during his senior year.
Jesse, a junior, has accepted a part-time job as a technician at the campus’ theatre, and he will balance that with taking classes and working another part-time job. His achievements are no surprise to those who knew him at the children’s home.
“In high school, I spent months building a Halloween costume from the video game Halo. It had built-in speakers and LED lights,” he said. Although theater is a passion for these two, it is just one part of their studies. While they both would like to enter into law enforcement, they picked different majors to get there. Jacob is studying psychology, and Jesse is studying sociology. Jesse is also open to obtaining a master’s degree and becoming a social worker to help people in need, inspired by those who touched his own life.
Jacob and Jesse are still very grateful to children’s home donors, who provided the means to send them both to college.
“The children’s home covers more than just the necessities,” Jesse said, “which is what makes it so special.”
The Importance of Keeping Siblings Together
Jacob and Jesse clearly benefited from and appreciated the opportunity to stay together. Keeping sibling pairs and sets intact, if possible, is a primary goal for children’s home staff.
“Trying to keep kids together is a very important piece of what we do,” Virginia Migrala, director of children’s services, said. “In the past, we’ve had up to eight children from one family.”
Currently, the children’s home has five sets of siblings.
Staff members work with siblings to strengthen and preserve their bond, while also making opportunities for them to become independent from each other. Siblings are not always able to live together at the children’s home, because of age or gender differences, but they know their brothers and sisters are always close by.
“The relationship you have with your siblings is one of the most important connections you have in life. Keeping siblings together makes it not quite as scary for kids when they come here. It gives them support and helps them grow their family even bigger here,” Virginia said.