Growing, Leading and Thriving: The Impact of an Arete Scholarship

For Kimberly and her family, education has always been about more than what happens inside a classroom. It is about creating opportunities for children to learn, grow, discover their strengths, and develop into the people they are meant to become.

Today, six of Kimberly’s children are receiving an Arete scholarship, and two of her children have already graduated from high school with the support of Arete. Five of her children attend Providence Christian Academy, while another participates in a hybrid program through Artios Academies. For Kimberly, the opportunity to choose an educational environment where each of her children can thrive has made a lasting difference.

Her family’s journey with Arete began years ago, after Kimberly and her husband Danny moved to an under-resourced community on Atlanta’s Westside. At the time, their older children attended a local charter school. While the school provided an education, Kimberly began noticing significant gaps as her children entered middle school.

“There were so many behavioral issues that these poor teachers were having to deal with that no real teaching was happening,” Kimberly recalls. “It was just hindered a lot.”

As Kimberly began exploring other educational options, she became connected with Arete through her family’s involvement in serving children and families in their community. She and her husband had spent years working with families experiencing homelessness and housing instability, connecting children with safe, supportive homes and helping provide opportunities for young people who were facing significant barriers.

Through those connections, Kimberly learned about Arete and the educational opportunities scholarships could provide for her own children.

“I am so thankful for everything,” Kimberly says. “I see it changing people's lives and giving kids an opportunity to go to Christian school if they want to and have their faith also.”

That opportunity has been especially meaningful for Kimberly’s children, who each have different strengths, interests, and educational needs.

At Providence Christian Academy, her children have been able to learn in an environment where they can focus on their academics while also participating in leadership, athletics, and extracurricular activities. Kimberly’s daughters have served on student leadership teams, helped give tours to prospective families, participated in chapel, and contributed to the yearbook. Her children have also served as sports captains and taken on other leadership opportunities throughout their school experience.

“It’s just been so exciting to see them get opportunities, not just academically, but to step into some of the leadership roles and be mentored and coached along by their teachers,” Kimberly said.

For two of Kimberly’s sons, the right educational environment was particularly important because they were navigating dyslexia. Providence offered specialized support alongside their regular coursework, giving them access to tutoring and remediation designed to help them catch up academically.

Kimberly said that support made a significant difference.

Her sons were eventually able to graduate from the specialized program and reach grade level, something Kimberly is incredibly grateful for.

“Arete made it possible for them to be in a school that could actually meet their needs,” she says.

That is one of the things Kimberly values most about the scholarship. Her children are all at different stages of their educational journeys, with different strengths, interests, and challenges, but their school has been able to meet them where they are and help them continue to grow.

For Kimberly, the impact of an Arete Scholarship extends beyond academics. She believes children spend a tremendous amount of their lives at school, making the environment they learn in incredibly important.

“I would like to say thank you so much for investing in this powerful means of transforming kids’ lives,” Kimberly says to Arete donors. “A child spends most of their time at school, and so if it’s a positive place and there are passionate teachers who are really invested in the kids, and they’re not just a number, then it can totally redirect the whole direction of their lives.”

Kimberly and her husband continue to serve families throughout the Atlanta area through their nonprofit work and mentorship programs, providing children with opportunities to learn, create, and develop new skills. Their family’s own experience with educational opportunity has only strengthened their commitment to helping other children and families find pathways forward.

Through Arete, Kimberly’s children have not only gained access to schools where they can learn. They have found places where they can lead, be challenged, receive the support they need, and grow into their individual strengths.

And for Kimberly, that is the heart of what educational opportunity can do: open a door that can change the direction of a child’s life.