Editor's Note: "Repairing a Broken Palace" was originally posted on Dec. 24, 2010—the third day that RSM Patch was online. Here's a rewind in case you missed it the first time.

They hurt, and Scott Brinson feels their pain. They need help, and Brinson is there for them. Sometimes, they need to be freed from the grasp of drugs, and other times they just need a hug. It doesn't matter. Brinson has arms at the ready.

Brinson is the founder and president of My Broken Palace, a nonprofit that specializes in ministering to youths and young adults—ages 14 to 25—who are experiencing some form of addiction or other painful situation.

Brinson, a Huntington Beach native, has been a resident of Rancho Santa Margarita for eight years—sandwiched around stints in Kansas City and Tulsa, OK—but the 1½-year-old My Broken Palace has a reach that is nationwide, with its staff of three and six to nine volunteers.

Its signature symbol is a prayer wall, both online at mybrokenpalace.com and at real events in which troubled teens can let loose with their needs, fears, and hopes with a Sharpie on a large canvas.

 "We believe in prayer and community, so utilizing a prayer wall in the online community allows people to express themselves," said Brinson, 43.

"I read every post, and it gives me incredible insight into what's happening right now with our youth culture. When they can anonymously express in a secure environment, they're not going to hide anything. I get to see the raw, unadulterated feelings of our young adults."

Some of those feelings and things young people are doing can be pretty disturbing. One growing trend is "cutting," a form of self-injury in which a person cuts their skin with a razor or other sharp edge. The theory is that cutting one's self induces a pain that can be controlled, unlike emotional pain, which can't be controlled. That's the attraction, and it becomes an addictive behavior.

"It's actually a release for them because their physical pain relieves the emotional pain, and it feels good," Brinson said. 

There's some pretty hefty pain out there to be tackled by My Broken Palace, whose slogan is "No one lonely alone," and it offers awareness, education, intervention and inspiration. "When I look at a kid, all I look at is: How can we help?" said Brinson, who is writing a booklet, tentatively titled "The MBP Book of Hope."

Consider a thank-you letter Brinson received recently from a girl who was molested at 4 by a 16-year-old girl, abused and neglected by an alcoholic father, was cutting herself at 11, attempted suicide at 12, did heroin and other drugs at 13, lost her virginity at 14 to someone 10 years older, was promiscuous by 15 and somewhere in there joined a gang and made a second suicide attempt.The girl and her family were threatened when she considered leaving the gang.

She created a profile at mybrokenpalace.com, and a counselor convinced her to trash the razor blades and the drugs. My Broken Palace supported her as she embraced chastity and helped her regain her faith and self-respect, and directed her to additional counseling for depression and physical, emotional and sexual abuse. She is no longer in the gang.

Another girl thanked MBP as well: "Last week I attempted suicide. I was unsuccessful, planning on trying another method. My Broken Palace came to my school, and since that day I have been changed forever. I just wanted to encourage everyone who sees this to live for Him, no matter what the circumstances."

According to Brinson, more than 3 million teens are cutting; one in four girls under the age of 18 has been sexually molested; and every two hours young people between ages 14 and 24 are committing suicide. There are plenty of reasons for My Broken Palace to exist.

My Broken Palace often partners with Christian bands in large concerts. Other times, it just wants to get its name out there in the community, which was the case earlier this month at a Chick-fil-A in Foothill Ranch. The organization has a number of opportunities to partner with major Christian groups next summer.

"The key," Brinson said, "is to get youth out of the isolation that is characteristic of this current society."

How does My Broken Palace do that? Almost without exception, every comment, request for prayer and plea for help receives at least one response from a real person. There are no auto-responders here.

"You'd have to be inhuman to read the crying out of a 15-year-old whose parents are getting divorced, who might have been raped, who's experimenting with cutting, and then not respond," Brinson said.  "My desire is that a hurting kid would go to a loving mom and dad. It's sad that a parent is the last person on the list. An anonymous online community takes priority over their own family."

But as long as that's the case, My Broken Palace will continue to fill the need. It will continue its online presence, will continue to show up at concerts, continue to reach out for those grasping for help.

"We hope to have the best research as advisers in our organization and plug these kids into whatever help exists, whether it's public or private," Brinson said. "We're a giant triage to funnel the hurting."