I love this child – now young man – as much as breath itself.  He makes people smile, lives from his heart, and uplifts any room he enters.  He has become a powerful person, full of initiative, awareness, and wisdom.  However, as a child he was rejected, labeled, and dismissed simply because he was unique and undefinable.  His innate curiosity and desire to follow his inner drumbeat drove teachers crazy.  He wanted so badly to please his teachers, but was unable to fit into the mold.  He was incredibly different from other children.  A perfectionist, he was very slow completing tasks.  He excelled at some tests and utterly failed others.  He was socially withdrawn, but deeply insightful.  He frustrated and confused teachers and they let him know about it.  No one could find a box to fit him in – yet many tried and then publically shamed Alex when it did not work.  He was nowhere close to fitting into the school system.  His self-esteem was shattered by the 4th grade. 

At age 9, he suffered a head injury.  He could no longer write, was having seizures, and became intensely sensitive to sound and light.  Other students stood up for him because he was injured and suffering.  I wish I could say the teachers and school administrators did the same.  They did not.  At a time when Alex needed to be nurtured, he was ostracized, blamed and shamed.  The message was clear - he was broken and not good enough.  He made the decision to die.  He had a plan.  He told me not to worry, it would be better if he did not live.  My heart nearly stopped.  At that exact moment, we ceased trying to fit Alex and our family into the box that the schools wanted.  And I stopped trying so hard to get the school system to work for him.  I just wanted to love him, keep him alive, and help him become interested in life again.  Our lives changed utterly.

All we had left was love.  We were raw, exposed, rejected.  With no clue what to do, his dad and I pulled him out of the school system, and I homeschooled him for the next 6 years until another tragedy hit.  An intense migraine cut off too much blood to my brain for too long, and I suffered a stroke.  Another game changer, for sure.  I could not be there for Alex.  Nothing made sense.  Emotionally, physically, and financially this was devastating for the family.  Between the costs to care for Alex, finding an accredited school that would be sensitive to his learning differences and paying for my medical needs, our finances dwindled. 

Every step of this journey was worth it.  From the moment we began homeschooling, Alex began to come alive.  He found ways to learn that fit his needs and were personally empowering.  He graduated high school with a 4.0 GPA and ACT scores in the 96th percentile.  His ACT science score was 100%.  The ‘broken’ label went out the window as he began to understand that being ‘different’ can also mean that he was innovative, creative, and on the way to becoming a much needed change-agent.  He became intensely interested in teaching with a powerful, positive paradigm instead of what he had endured.  He also began to explore what it would take to form and head up non-profit organizations aimed at helping children.  He wants to be a new kind of teacher and leader – one who knows that honoring and empowering the authentic heart of a child opens the road to true learning.  He chose to find out what teaching is all about and became an apprentice martial arts teacher for 2 years before going to university.  He learned how to incorporate many different models of child development and began creating new ways to work with individuals and a variety of age groups.

He now longs to dive into studies at a university to fuel this passion.  He spent a long time looking into different colleges and selected Quest University Canada – an innovative and prestigious school in British Columbia.  While he has received a partial scholarship from the school, the remaining costs are high. 

My heart feels like it is breaking open writing this plea.  It is deeply humbling to be this vulnerable, face this embarrassment, and need your help so much.  The journey of raising Alex has brought me to my knees over and over again.  And I am here again.  Our family needs your help to send him to this university.  There is no money left; we have spent it all on much needed alternative schooling and different kinds of treatments and therapies.  Alex has been through so much personal struggle, yet he has come through it longing to help other children and families to avoid the tough journey we had to take.  Educating this one young man could potentially help so many.

With costs beyond the scholarship at about $22,000 per year, he anticipates needing $88,000 before he graduates.  The funds we originally set aside to help pay college tuition are long gone – spent primarily on tuition for the much needed alternative schooling.  Due to ongoing stroke issues, I cannot work a full-time job, and Alex’s father, at age 68, is retired and has health issues that limit his earning potential.  We truly need your help for our son.

I cannot tell you how deeply we want him to be able to have this education – both for himself and for his dream.  He wants to learn about the most effective, authentic ways to fully support and empower young people.  He foresees not only teaching, but also founding a non-profit organization to help motivate and enable young people like himself who may not have had an easy road – those who found the system difficult – those who faced difficult family situations – those who are looking for ways to lead meaningful lives. 

I ask you from my heart to help this beautiful young man to gain this education and move forward into a meaningful life of service to children.  It would mean the world to him and to us.

Thank you.  Thank you.  You are wonderful.  Your generosity fills our hearts.



Alex has set up a Facebook page so you can follow his progress at

http://www.facebook.com/HelpToHelpOthers

Thank you so much for supporting his journey.