Until 2016, my family was pretty typical. There were 4 of us, my mom, dad, brother, and me. We were so blessed to be such a close, tight-knit family that genuinely loved each other - and still do. But it only made the news that much harder to hear. In the summer of 2016, my dad was diagnosed with stage 4 liver cancer. His immune system already weakened from a rare kidney disease made it pretty clear that this could be rough. As his cancer consumed his liver and kidneys, his health rapidly declined. By March of the following year, he was nearly bed-ridden and unable to speak. Even though he could not express much with his voice or his body, my heart always desired to be with him and nurture him exactly how he needed. I did whatever I could by feeding him, singing to him, laying with him, and I'm so thankful we had that time. But on March 25th, 2017, the Lord called my dad home. My brother and I, 10 and 9, were now at home with our single mother, left without a dad, and for her, left without a husband. There were many difficult things that arose due to my dad’s passing within our family, but no matter what, the Lord still provided for us, moved in the three of us, and restored our joy. And in this, He began to show me a deep desire He had laid on my heart - to take care of children and families facing adversity in all sorts of capacities. Losing my dad has forever changed me. We shared all the same loves, hobbies, and pastimes, and walking through young adult life without him has been one of the hardest things I have yet experienced. Yet because of this, I have found a huge fire the Lord has ignited inside of me to work with kids with special needs. Children are the ultimate gift in this life, and they deserve to be intimately protected, taught, encouraged, and loved by those around them. It is so incredibly important that children of all ages, including their families, are completely surrounded by support, especially in times when life just feels painful, confusing, and impossible to keep going. I have walked through the insecurities and pain of loss first hand, and I understand that each family and namely, each individual, is different in the way they need to be met in these times of struggle. I desire to be deeply educated, academically and through hands-on experience, to become much more knowledgeable in how to be a light and a voice for these precious children and families learning how to navigate a life with special needs. This scholarship would give me the incredible opportunity to pursue my dream of studying Special Education at Grove City College in Pennsylvania, to continue my love of working with children with special needs in becoming an Early Intervention Specialist. I'd be with kids ages 0-3, helping them grow strong in the midst of, and because of, any developmental delay that may be at play in their lives, and to be a steady voice for their families. What a gift it is that we are able to help others because of what we have had to walk through. Even in these immense hardships, there is such joy that can come in laying down a love for children and families we can so deeply relate to!

I was in 3rd grade, only 9 years old, when I lost my best friend. Until 2016, my family was pretty typical. There were 4 of us, my mom, dad, brother, and me. We were so blessed to be such a close, tight-knit family that genuinely loved each other - and still do. But it only made the news that much harder to hear. In the summer of 2016, my dad was diagnosed with stage 4 liver cancer. His immune system already weakened from a rare kidney disease made it pretty clear that this could be rough. As his cancer consumed his liver and kidneys, his health rapidly declined. By March of the following year, he was nearly bed-ridden and unable to speak. Even though he could not express much with his voice or his body, my heart always desired to be with him and nurture him exactly how he needed. I did whatever I could by feeding him, singing to him, laying with him, and I'm so thankful we had that time. But on March 25th, 2017, the Lord called my dad home. My brother and I, 10 and 9, were now at home with our single mother, left without a dad, and for her, left without a husband. There were many difficult things that arose due to my dad’s passing within our family, but no matter what, the Lord still provided for us, moved in the three of us, and restored our joy. And in this, He began to show me a deep desire He had laid on my heart - to take care of children and families facing adversity in all sorts of capacities. Losing my dad has forever changed me. We shared all the same loves, hobbies, and pastimes, and walking through young adult life without him has been one of the hardest things I have yet experienced. Yet because of this, I have found a huge fire the Lord has ignited inside of me to work with kids with special needs. Children are the ultimate gift in this life, and they deserve to be intimately protected, taught, encouraged, and loved by those around them. It is so incredibly important that children of all ages, including their families, are completely surrounded by support, especially in times when life just feels painful, confusing, and impossible to keep going. I have walked through the insecurities and pain of loss first hand, and I understand that each family and namely, each individual, is different in the way they need to be met in these times of struggle. I desire to be deeply educated, academically and through hands-on experience, to become much more knowledgeable in how to be a light and a voice for these precious children and families learning how to navigate a life with special needs. This scholarship would give me the incredible opportunity to pursue my dream of studying Special Education at Grove City College in Pennsylvania, to continue my love of working with children with special needs in becoming an Early Intervention Specialist. I'd be with kids ages 0-3, helping them grow strong in the midst of, and because of, any developmental delay that may be at play in their lives, and to be a steady voice for their families. What a gift it is that we are able to help others because of what we have had to walk through. Even in these immense hardships, there is such joy that can come in laying down a love for children and families we can so deeply relate to! Thank you so much for considering my submission!

I was in 3rd grade, only 9 years old, when I lost my best friend. Until 2016, my family was pretty typical. There were 4 of us, my mom, dad, brother, and me. We were so blessed to be such a close, tight-knit family that genuinely loved each other - and still do. But it only made the news that much harder to hear. In the summer of 2016, my dad was diagnosed with stage 4 liver cancer. His immune system already weakened from a rare kidney disease made it pretty clear that this could be rough. As his cancer consumed his liver and kidneys, his health rapidly declined. By March of the following year, he was nearly bed-ridden and unable to speak. Even though he could not express much with his voice or his body, my heart always desired to be with him and nurture him exactly how he needed. I did whatever I could by feeding him, singing to him, laying with him, and I'm so thankful we had that time. But on March 25th, 2017, the Lord called my dad home. My brother and I, 10 and 9, were now at home with our single mother, left without a dad, and for her, left without a husband. Over time, things did get better. There were many difficult things that arose after my dad’s passing - because of his passing - within our family, but no matter what, the Lord still provided for us, moved in the three of us, and restored our joy. And in this, He began to show me a deep desire He had laid on my heart - to take care of children and families facing adversity in all sorts of capacities. Losing my dad has forever changed me. We shared all the same loves, hobbies, and pastimes, and walking through young adult life without him has been one of the hardest things I have yet experienced. Yet because of this, I have found a huge fire the Lord has ignited inside of me to walk with families facing similar things. Children are the ultimate gift in this life, and they deserve to be intimately protected, taught, encouraged, and loved by those around them. It is so incredibly important that children of all ages, including their families, are completely surrounded by support, especially in times when life just feels painful, confusing, and impossible to keep going. I have walked through the insecurities and pain of loss first hand, and I understand that each family and namely, each individual, is often very different in the way they need to be met in these times. I desire to be deeply educated, academically and through hands-on experience, to become much more knowledgeable in how to be a light and a voice for these precious children and families. This scholarship would give me such an incredible opportunity to pursue my dream of becoming an Early Intervention Specialist, working with kids ages 0-3, helping them grow strong in the midst of, and because of, any developmental delay that may be at play in their lives, and to be a steady voice for their families. What a gift it is that we are able to help others because of what we have had to walk through. Even in these immense hardships, there is such joy that can come in laying down a love for children and families we can so deeply relate to! Thank you so much for considering my submission!

Hello! My name is Lucy Fleischauer and I am a student at Haverford High School. Throughout my life, I have found a deep love and passion for working with students and children of all ages who have intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. I began discovering this passion in Kindergarten, as I became very close with two kids in my class, both with special needs. My good friend Declan had severe autism - he was non-verbal and struggled expressing his emotions and feelings, and would usually resort to physical demonstrations because of the frustrations this brought up. My other best friend, Grady, had severe down syndrome. He had some ability to speak and work things out, but he too struggled to convey what he was feeling and thinking. Despite this, and might I say because of this, we grew a deep friendship that showed me how powerful and beautiful a friendship is that does not rely on verbal communication or superficial methods of connection. This friendship was real. And it lasted all the way through the summer after our 7th grade year, right up until I moved away. During this friendship with Declan and Grady, I lost my dad to stage 4 liver cancer, a cancer affecting only 1 in every 10,000 people. Throughout these years of friendship, sickness, loss, and grief, a deep desire to help others walking through profound hardships and navigating a life full of challenges and isolation, sparked. Over the years, I have began to see myself working in the healthcare field as an Occupational Therapist or Early Intervention Specialist, combining my love for working with families with special needs and individuals facing adversity, whether it be loss, sickness, trauma events, difficult diagnoses, or just about anything else. It is so important to me that people do not ever feel alone, no matter what life looks like. Especially when handling rare medical conditions/diagnoses, families and individuals tend to face some of the most isolating times. But I want to change that. By working in these fields in the future, I will have the chance to work one-on-one with special people who are in need of love, hope, connection, and healing. Many of which I have experienced living without, yet have also found in the most unexpected ways, like in my friendship with Declan and Grady. We all, as humans, crave these things in a profound way. Our lives look so incredibly different when we allow people into them who desire to love us where we are, encourage us, sacrifice their own benefits for ours, and walk alongside us through every twist and turn we experience in this life. As an Occupational Therapist or Early Intervention Specialist, I will get to cultivate real, deep, and intimate relationships with my clients of all walks of life. In doing this, I will get to stand with them and serve them through the whole of their journey, being a constant in their life who is grounded in truth, love, empathy, and support in all areas. As I begin to navigate this walk the Lord has called me to, I am eager to see all that will transpire. But one thing I know for sure, He does not make mistakes with His creation. Getting to serve His children in whatever capacity He decides will be a gift like no other. Healthcare is such a beautiful opportunity to provide hope and real love to people walking through really difficult seasons of life. And what a joy it is to give that back to those who have forever made such an impact on my life.