Share Your Story – Parent Edition!
A parent’s role is invaluable. They teach their kids how to be good people. Not just good people, exceptional people… people that respect others, people that take responsibility for their actions, people that live lives full of integrity, people that sacrifice for others, and people that have courage to stand up for what they believe in. At FSL, we LOVE our parents and guardians! By continually reinforcing these essential Core Values at home, it is so easy to see the perspective shift in so many FSL students. Over 70% of our FSL students raised their GPA or maintained a 3.0 or higher in the last school year. This is not by accident. As the saying goes, “It takes a village to raise a child”, and we are so grateful for the FSL parents and guardians that put in the time for their children.
Debby, a Five Star Life parent, recently joined Coach Seth on the Five Star Life Radio Show. Her journey with FSL started six years ago when her middle school daughter was invited to go to the FSL afterschool program with a friend. She really loved it and asked her mom if she could continue going.
“As a parent with elementary students, you know what’s going on. When they go to middle school, you lose that connection. The program didn’t seem like it could do any harm, so, one thing led to another and she was put on a team with some coaches!”
“These coaches ended up being really inspirational in her life. Her coaches wanted to know what her grades were and I thought this was very unique. Who would want to know what her grades were besides me and her teachers? These coaches were holding her accountable.”
“FSL had a profound impact on her by bringing in all of these character development issues that are (many times) absent in education.”
At the FSL Awards Night, Debby was able to really grasp what FSL was all about. It was more than just an afterschool program. “It wasn’t just a ‘we’ll take care of your kid for 2 hours.’ It was a program filled with people that cared about my daughter’s future.”
Debby has seen her daughter go from just a FSL participant, to someone who took the messages in and applied them to her life, to an incredible leader who mentors students and her peers.
“It’s been wonderful to see the growth. With both of my daughters, it’s so great to see them make the right decision, not the popular decision.”
Debby’s daughter was invited to be a FSL High School Leader. This new role allows her to work with students during the afterschool program and also be a part of special events with FSL and Summit.
This type of ripple effect is the mission of FSL. Debby’s daughter embraced the Core Values of FSL and it has now impacted every area of her life – it has held her accountable, it has prepared her for the workforce, it has taught her to work as a team, and it has taught her about organization. Debby is so grateful for FSL and all it has done for her daughter.
Debby, thanks for sharing your story with us. We are so grateful for parents like you and we are so excited to hear more about more of the incredible things your daughters will do!
We are hearing these stories of impact every day! To learn more about our different areas of programming, visit our website at www.fivestarlife.org or call our offices at 574-266-4038. If you have a Five Star Life story to share, go to the Share Your Story page. Your story could be featured in an upcoming blog post! Happy St. Patrick’s Day, everyone!
