Founded in 1988, Kids’ Chance of America’s goal is to provide educational scholarships for the children of workers catastrophically injured or killed on the job. These scholarships make a significant impact on the lives of students whose parents have suffered a critical injury. The organization supports more than 36 state and affiliated member groups with funding and strategic assistance. Since the start, they have awarded 5,593 scholarships totaling over $16.6M.

As a proud supporter of Kids’ Chance of America, we would like to share the stories of three young people who are reaching their goals with help from the scholarship program.

Trent – University of Idaho

Trent J. University of Idaho Kids’ Chance of California Scholarship Recipient

Trent was able to attend the University of Idaho thanks to his scholarship from Kids’ Chance of California. “First of all, I can’t express my gratitude enough to all the sponsors who made the start of my college career possible. The caring people who have donated this money to me have also invested in my dreams to become an agricultural engineer who will discover and improve the agricultural world.”

Trent said he fell in love with the campus and surrounding area at the University of Idaho, which was where he wanted to begin his dream. “I ultimately want to be in the agricultural industry, consulting and creating fabrications of parts for large farming companies.”

The college experience doesn’t stop at class work for Trent. He’s involved in Greek life, taking swing dancing and helped build a float for the homecoming parade. “All I can say is that I have grown more as a man just in the few weeks that I have been at school. Thank you to Kids’ Chance for making this important step in my life possible.”

Alexis – Virginia Commonwealth University

Alexis is a Kids’ Chance scholarship recipient who is attending Virginia Commonwealth University. She is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in biology and plans to continue her education with a master’s in physical therapy. For Alexis, physical therapy is more than a career. It is a passion that developed as she watched her father recover from a paralyzing accident.

With her father unable to work, Alexis was concerned that college expenses would place too heavy of a burden on their family. The Kids’ Chance scholarship provided relief.

As Alexis works toward becoming a physical therapist, she is always grateful for the scholarship that made her education a reality. “Other than my father surviving his accident, this scholarship is the best thing that has happened for me since his accident … it’s life changing. We think about this amazing gesture every single day. Without the incredible people who work with this organization, we might not be in college right now.”

John – Bloomsburg University

John K. Bloomsburg University Kids’ Chance of PA Scholarship Recipient

John is a scholarship recipient from Kids’ Chance of Pennsylvania, and he is currently working on a degree in marketing from Bloomsburg University. He’s made the Dean’s List and is a mentor in the Big Brothers Big Sisters Program. He credits everything he’s achieved in college to the Kids’ Chance scholarship program.

“In late 2009, my mom fell while going up a flight of stairs at work. After many surgeries, she still finds herself dealing with issues relating to the fall and is unable to work, over five years later. My family suffered a significant loss of income and that put a huge financial burden on my parents when it came to supporting five children. I could see her struggling to see how one parent would be able to support all of us, let alone help send one to school.”

John took a year off between high school and college to work and save his own money to fund his education, but it was not enough to cover the full cost. Learning about Kids’ Chance of Pennsylvania changed everything.

“You also have taken stress off our families by turning the hardships faced by them being injured into a chance for us to attend college. We are forever grateful to this organization and for the support.”

At Paradigm, we are encouraged by the Kids’ Chance vision to support students like Trent, Alexis and John. We strive to make positive outcomes happen not only for the injured worker but also for the family. Tune into more inspiring stories like these by following us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. To make a donation or volunteer with the chapter in your state, contact us or visit www.kidschance.org.