"Take Heart! I have overcome the world." - The Story of an Overcomer
Each of the Outreach 2020 high school graduates has stories that are unique, but a common bond they all share is that they will have overcome extremely difficult life situations to graduate from high school this summer. These students are the very essence of the definition of an overcomer.
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“I am so proud of her for carrying on, for keeping her head up, and keeping an incredibly tender heart throughout every obstacle that has risen along her path.”
- Lydia, ARCH Case Manager
One of our students has overcome multiple obstacles on her way to graduation. Being one of thirteen children, her parents were not able to provide needed care and she entered into the foster care system early on. After a rough experience in foster care in an unhealthy home, she was put into kinship care with an older sibling who had just got their own apartment. While living with family was a much-welcomed change of pace, things were still very difficult. Making ends meet was a struggle. This student often bounced around from family member to family member, doubling up and sharing rooms with multiple family members at a time. During her senior year, she lived in three different locations, bouncing back and forth multiples times throughout the year. Establishing reliable transportation from differing locations was a large barrier for her getting to school.
In spite of all of those things, she will be graduating in June with a 4.0 GPA and will begin classes at Ball State in August. Her determination to finish strong and keep up with her course work, in the midst of instability, has been remarkable. “I am so proud of her for carrying on, for keeping her head up, and keeping an incredibly tender heart throughout every obstacle that has risen along her path.” - Lydia, ARCH Case Manager
It’s this overcoming that needs to be celebrated this summer! You can be part of the celebration of each graduate’s achievement. You can partner with the Indianapolis Indians Charities to make this celebration a unique experience for each of the youth. The Indians will be providing all of the resources (food, location, etc.) for the graduation celebration! You can be part of this by blessing the youth with the following gifts:
· $400 – laptop
· $40 – backpack
· $25 – gift cards
· Send hand-written graduation cards
(click here to get a list of the graduates).
Mail cards to our office at:
PO Box 11416,
Indianapolis, IN 46201
You can make this celebration truly memorable with your gift online HERE!
"In this world, you will have trouble.
But take heart! I have overcome the world." - John 16:33
* All photos in this blog were taken at the 2019 Graduation Celebration. All people in the images have granted us permission to use the photos in blogs, social media posts, print materials, and other marketing mediums.