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| Deswon Thompson, Kristy Davis, and Jordan Gardener |
Kristy Davis knew for a long time
that God had called her to work with underprivileged children. Little did she
know that it would entail serving them not only as director of a mentoring
program called Faith, Hope & Love, but also as a host mom to four of her
teenage mentees.
But Davis’ service to impoverished
children began long before she became director of FH&L. During her 22-year
career with Wachovia she sat on the original board of Brookstone Schools.
Eventually, in 2005 she left her position as Vice President of Corporate
Relations to become the director of a youth summer camp in Lancaster, South
Carolina. Unfortunately, after three years the camp sold its property and
folded, leaving Davis without a job.
Not to be denied from her life’s
calling, Davis then decided to revitalize a mentoring program called Faith,
Hope & Love. Originally the vision of Grace Covenant Church and its pastor
Daren McGrew, the ministry had been dead for several years before Davis
breathed new life into it.
Much like Brookstone itself, the
mission of FH&L is to reach and serve children from underprivileged
families through a comprehensive program of educational assistance,
spiritual/character development, and parental involvement. Students come after
school Monday–Thursday to receive one-on-one help with homework, emotional
stability, and spiritual formation.
Moreover, since Davis had served on
the original Brookstone board for a number of years, she knew the school would
be a much better fit for her mentees than the public schools they previously
attended.
“Because I was familiar with the
school, I felt like the best thing for these children would be for them to
[transfer] to Brookstone,” said Davis.
Thus began a wonderful partnership
between FH&L and Brookstone Schools. According to Davis, by the grace of
God, all 14 of FH&L’s mentees either currently attend or previously
attended Brookstone. Thanks to the cooperative efforts of Brookstone’s teachers
and FH&L’s mentors, the two organizations have made an immense impact on
the lives of many underprivileged students.
But Davis’ love and service to her
mentees goes far beyond the ordinary. After several of her mentees became
entangled in a tough family situation last summer, Davis stepped up and took
four teenage boys into her home. Three of them are brothers.
“It’s turned my life upside down,”
she laughs.
While Davis admits that keeping up
with four teenage boys can be difficult, she has seen a noticeable difference
in their lives, especially in the youngest.
“The most important thing [that’s
happened] in Jordan’s life is that he has accepted Christ as his savior. That
has changed his life.”
According to Davis, introducing kids
to Jesus is what Faith, Hope & Love is truly all about.
“That’s the most important thing we
do.”
If you are interested in
volunteering with Faith, Hope & Love in ANY capacity (mentoring,
marketing, fundraising, website development,
cooking/crafts/music), please contact Kristy Davis at Kdavis132@carolina.rr.com