Here, you will find a collection of stories and photos that highlight the resilience and strength of the children we serve, and the ways in which our organization empowers them to build a brighter future.
Empowering Children
“Almost every child of trauma starts the 1st grade developmentally delayed. It’s not their fault but if they don’t get on grade level quickly behavior issues aren’t far behind. The frustration turns to anger, anger turns into hopelessness, and hopelessness steals their future. Through our Opportunity Fund, we are all in on getting as many kids as we can on grade level. In this picture, one of my favorite kids is being tutored in math by my oldest son. He skyped in from his college dorm room.”
– Brian Chamberlain
“This young lady had never had much to look forward to. She had just had a stability-shaking event in her life and was acting out because that’s all she knew how to do. Her relative caregiver called me looking for a solution. I met them for lunch the next day. Before we got into the ramifications of unchanged behavior, I asked her what she wanted to do when she grew up. She said she wanted to be a chef. I said what kind of chef? She said a pizza chef. I said consider it done. My friends at Metro’s Pizza in Alcoa TN let us come in before opening and showed her the ropes. The difference something as simple as learning how to make a pizza left me speechless. Instead of thinking about her past she had something to look forward to.
– Brian Chamberlain