“Genuinely, I would not have been able to pursue my master’s degree if not for Every Child’s Hope and the scholarship from the Carroll family,” says Jen* (name changed for privacy), a 24-year-old graduate student and former Steppingstone resident. “It’s lifted a massive amount of weight and offered freedom to pursue a career in social work, where I’m going to be able to support people the way Steppingstone supported me.”
Jen’s journey with ECH began in 2020, just before her 19th birthday, when she made the difficult decision to leave an unsafe home and enter the Kansas City Steppingstone transitional living program.
She remembers the stark contrast between the day she arrived and the day she left: “I walked in terrified and uncertain about reality, feeling childish and unstable. But then, that first night, I felt peace, like I could finally breathe.Three years later, I left with confidence, direction, and purpose.”
At Steppingstone, Jen gained stability through weekly meetings with a case manager who offered consistent support in a way she had never experienced. She received free therapy sessions. She learned emotional strategies such as boundary setting, as well as practical life skills like completing FAFSA forms and grocery shopping on a budget. Perhaps most importantly, Jen was given the space and a safe place to heal.
Through the scholarship, she was able to earn her bachelor’s degree in social work in 2025 and is now completing her master’s, set to graduate in 2026. Jen will soon begin her career as a therapist—coming full circle to offer others the same steady care and guidance that once changed the course of her own life.