Life Changing Generosity - Thank You, Donors!

The Academy for G.O.D. invites you to participate in the The Legacy Scholarship Program (LSP). The LSP was created to provide national and international students with an affordable education model - one that many experts have described as “the future of education.” The LSP acknowledges student athletes, academic exemplars, as well as families with financial hardship.

The Arts Scholarship is one avenue students can receive financial support, by demonstrating noteworthy skill in the performing arts. Students are able to showcase their skills through opportunities like weely chapels, school assemblies and events.

Last year The Academy for G.O.D. gave over $170K in needs-based scholarships to students around the world. As the pandemic caused schools to close, we were able to offer dozens of students the option of online education. In the midst of a struggling economy, we also also provided scholarships to 110 students from families in need to remain in school here on our Nashville campus. These scholarships were offered thanks to the generosity of many like you, who donated to support K-12 education in our annual Giving Campaign. We THANK you. Families were impacted and blessed in truly life changing ways.

Lawrence Ssemakula , a father and educator in Uganda took the lead in organizing the dozen students in Uganda who enrolled in the Academy Remote Learning Program when local schools closed down due to Covid-19.  His children are still taking a full load of classes online with us, as Ugandan schools have yet to re-open.

“For us it was an answered prayer to our situation in Uganda where schools have been closed for nearly two years. God heard our cry, he intervened when we had no idea of what to do next and responded to our prayer. Our children are getting the best education we'd never thought of.

Secondly, the students have an opportunity to take classes which they can manage unlike in their former schools which had a broad curriculum with many subjects. The content is very adequate and mostly practical which has made them enjoy the learning, it meets their learning abilities.”

As Ssemakula noted, it has been nearly 2 years since the youth of Uganda have been out of school, and now are facing a slew of challenges related to learning gaps and a sharp rise in teenage pregnancy (1). Thankfully, his children and others who received scholarships to the Academy have had continued access to engaging and biblically based education. 

Here in Nashville many families also faced financial hardships, and were able to apply for scholarships. Because of the generosity of our donors, students were able to attend classes, participate in our Phoenix sports program, take part in talent shows and STEM Fairs, and receive 2 nutritious meals a day on campus. What a gift! 

Thank you for your consideration and continued support. We are committed to providing the best education possible to students that would otherwise not have the opportunity. Our prayer is that the Lord provides the means, both spiritually and monetarily, to continue His great work through donors like you!

Left: Educator Lawrence Ssemakula says “We appreciate the (Academy) teachers’ way of teaching. It's not easy to get students engaged in learning virtually. Our children enjoy learning due to the teachers' carefulness demonstrated through meeting the students' individual needs and even following up on individual students to ensure they are enjoying their studies.”

Right: “My family chose to use the Academy online program during a season of life that had many unexpected challenges.” says Deb Nava, of her 1st and 3rd grade students. “The flexibility of the program allowed us to quickly work through some material or spend extra time on the classes my kids loved. Our weekly check-ins with a teacher were helpful to keep them on track or ask questions about certain assignments. I felt really good about the progress they made while at home, and I knew they would confidently be on par with peers in the classroom. It’s an excellent program and I’m so thankful we had a positive experience during a hard season.”

(1) COVID-19: Education replaced by shuttered schools, violence, teenage pregnancy https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/07/1096502

The Legacy Campaign

Dearest Grandparents,

I hope this letter finds you well.

The dynamic between a grandparent and a grandchild is fantastic to witness. Though both are on two different ends of the spectrum of life, they possess a beautiful connection that allows them to be very present in their season of living. The smiles on both of their faces show they enjoy the simplicity and pleasures of life, but in different ways. Let me explain...

I believe that no one is more captivated by a child opening a hoped-for gift than their grandparent. Of course the child’s parents are fixed on them, witnessing the wonder in their eyes and the joyful anticipation of their prize. However, the parent’s appreciation of the moment is naturally limited to their experience on the timeline of life. And while for the parent that moment is perfect, I suggest it can also get better, and this is something a grandparent knows.

You see, similar to the parent, the grandparent’s perspective of that gift-opening moment sees their grandchild’s wonder, hope, and joyful anticipation. But simultaneously, they see their own child, now an adult, living out the adventure of parenthood, igniting a string of memories from their past, flooding them with images and feelings welling up in their soul. All of this enriches the moment beyond their own capacity to hold onto it all, resulting in tenderness, the taking of lots of pictures, and a quiet, rewarding smile. 

What a blessing to live long enough to see your children raising their own children, and celebrating life with them. God is so good!

In this 8th year of The Academy’s existence, we wanted to extend an invitation for grandparents to participate in what we are calling “The Legacy Campaign.” This fundraising effort is to help us continue providing scholarships for our students, your grandchildren, ensuring they get a Christ-centered education and an affordable one at that. 

You may not know this, but since our inception we’ve given scholarships to our students that make up the difference between what school tuition costs are and what families can pay. These scholarships are based on a sliding scale related to family income and other factors like number of children enrolled in school. In 2019 alone, we provided just over $170,000 in scholarships for our students. In 2020, almost $20,000 in scholarships were given just to our international students in Uganda and The Philippines. Praise the Lord!

So, up until now, where did this money come from? Some of it has come from the generosity of donative individuals - some of you in fact - and also our parent organization, Global Outreach Developments Int’l. It has also come through the generosity of faculty and staff, many of which have volunteered in their positions. For example, it wasn’t until year 7 that a Principal was actually on payroll, and even now, several key administrators still volunteer their service.

Students from the Academy’s inaugural year, 2013, together on the playground.

8 years ago, we started with less than 20 students, in 4 different grades, in 2 classrooms, and an all-volunteer faculty and staff. Today, we have over 200 students, in kindergarten through 12th, in over 24 classrooms, with over 40 faculty and staff, plus another 20+ routine volunteers! Even though we had such awesome growth, which included purchasing over $1,000,000 in new facilities, we did not pass a proportionate increase onto student tuition, holding to our value of keeping this education affordable for families.

However, in order for us to continue offering the quality education that we have been able to up until now, we need your help. Much of our natural growth comes from multiple child families. When a family has to put 4 kids in school, that affordable tuition (ours is still one of the lowest in the state for a program like ours), at full price can require an additional $15,000 of consideration for a family per year. Our scholarships help keep siblings together in the same school, they help single-parent families overcome their income limitations, they help impoverished families in the developing world and even missionary families get access to a biblically based and innovative model for education. 

We are asking you to help us raise $50,000 this year so that we could continue to help our parents (your children), keep their kids (your grandchildren), in school with a tuition cost they can afford. 

Grandparents and students enjoy the Academy’s annual “Grandparent’s Day” event.

Proverbs 13:22 lets us know that a good person is one who leaves a legacy for their children and their children's children. What a great legacy to give your grandchildren in the form of a Christ-centered, biblical and holistic education that teaches them the word of God, including God’s vision for his Kingdom and how they can use their education to bring about a better world. 

I hope you truly consider giving a tax deductible donation to “The Legacy Campaign.” I sincerely pray that God will bless you and your family and if anything, after reading this letter and thinking about your grandchildren, I hope you will feel that rewarding smile come upon your face.

Serving Jesus our Lord,

Gregg Garner

Founder/Headmaster

The Academy for G.O.D.