Vicki Shepherd is a marketing professional at Guidant Group and serves as a member of CEF's Board of Directors.
For about 12 years, every time I drove to my office near downtown Kansas City, I exited I-35 and went down Southwest Boulevard. I didn't notice a little brick building that I drove by every day. I didn't even see it.
Maybe I was distracted, thinking about what restaurant I'd go to for lunch, and not whether I had enough money to buy groceries that week. Maybe I was thinking about the presentation I would give at work, and not whether I'd need to work a second job. Maybe I was thinking about playing outside with my son later on, and not whether our front yard was safe enough to play in.
When I drove home, I went by the same building and still didn't see it. I didn't notice the houses on the side street nearby, with bars across the windows or the dented car parked by the curb. I didn't notice the adults leaving that building. I didn't wonder if they had comforted a girl who's dad hadn't come home again the night before. Or if they had provided another snack for the boy who never brought one. Or if they had encouraged the middle schooler who takes care of his brothers until their mom's late shift is over. I didn't wonder if those adults noticed how full their hearts felt as they left that building, unlike my heart, which wasn't feeling full any more when I left work. It didn't occur to me that the kids leaving that building felt safe there and called the people inside their family. Maybe I was preoccupied, thinking about my own family and the comforts waiting for me when I got home, but I just didn't see it.
Sometimes we don't notice people who need our help. Sometimes we are preoccupied. Sometimes its easier to not see them.
A few years ago, I heard about the Catholic Education Foundation and wrote a check. Soon after, I received a handwritten note from a boy named Julio, thanking me for helping kids like him go to a Catholic school. I found myself often thinking about this kid, Julio. I began wondering about his life and why he wanted to go to a Catholic school. I wondered about the other 1,300+ kids who received a CEF scholarship. What were their stories?
I knew I'd never meet Julio, but my empty heart told me it was time to start seeing kids like him and why they needed help, so I got involved with CEF.
A couple weeks ago, the folks at CEF gave me an address. I programmed it into my GPS, and it lead me on I-35 to the same exit, down Southwest Boulevard, to that little brick building I had never noticed.
This building is Holy Name of Jesus Catholic School, and it's one of 22 schools with students who receive scholarships from CEF. Their parents and guardians look to CEF for help in providing not only a faith-filled education, but also a safe haven from the the chaos and insecurity of poverty, staffed by teachers who love and nurture their kids. These schools provide a choice for a better future.
At Holy Name, I had the honor of meeting four sisters on scholarship from CEF. The two youngest are sweet and respectful little girls. Next is an articulate 7th grader who loves art and music but wants to go into medicine. The oldest, now a junior at Bishop Ward High School, is among the top in her class.
These sisters and their parents, Rebecca and Jose, graciously welcomed a crew into their small house to make a video to share their story. What I noticed in their home was not poverty. Rather, I saw a family working hard to break the cycle - a family with courage, perseverance, faith and hope. I saw the positive impact of CEF. And I saw the difference that you and I can make in people's lives when we take a moment to really see them.
What I see in this family and within that little brick building - it fills my heart.
You can see it too. Join us at Gaudeamus on October 20, 2018, to see the video about this incredible family receiving CEF scholarships.
