Ja’Heim Goodwin

When our oldest son, Watts, met Ja’Heim on Work Crew at Young Life camp, we had no idea that God would be inviting our family into an incredible story. Over the past two summers, as Ja’Heim has joined us at our dinner table and shared his life with us, we have learned that he is enduring terrible loss.  In response, we realized that we cannot love Ja’Heim well and ignore his urgent needs.

Ja’Heim Goodwin is a faithful and resilient young man.  He grew up living with different relatives in Birmingham, AL. Only three days after his 18th birthday in May 2020, his legal guardian, Aunt Naomi, passed away suddenly.  In June, his only remaining caregiver died from COVID-19.

Ja’Heim is now on his own with nothing. He has lost his family and his home.

Despite these difficult circumstances, he has diligently poured himself into academics. Not only did Ja’Heim graduate High School in May 2020 in the top 10 of his class with a 3.91 GPA, but he also earned a partial academic and band scholarship to Alabama A&M, an HBCU. He is scheduled to begin school at A&M on August 12th.

Ja’Heim will be the FIRST person in his family to graduate from college.

While this is an amazing achievement, Ja’Heim still needs at least $5,000 / year (after scholarships and FAFSA  grants)  to cover his remaining tuition and school expenses.  He also needs money to provide for his basic needs when his college campus is closed.

Although he will be a full-time student, a member of the marching band, and will work a part-time job, he will still need additional financial support to attend college for the next 4 years. 

Please consider partnering with us in caring for Ja’Heim and showing him that God sees and loves him through this critical time.

All support will go directly toward Ja’Heim’s college expenses and his basic needs.

Thank you for any funding that you can offer!