I started supporting LifeNets 12 years ago when my family and I were going through a very personal trial.  I had been diagnosed with stage four uterine cancer and was undergoing extensive radiation treatments.  I was burned on several different parts of my body and was in extreme pain and misery. I was unable to attend church for several months during that time. One Sabbath, my husband, Willis, came home and told me about a visiting speaker, Victor Kubik, who spoke about his effort to help young victims of Chernobyl.  As he told me about it, I was in so much pain that I couldn’t even get dressed and was draped in a sheet.  I just could not, in any way, imagine a child having to go through the pain and the hurt that I was experiencing.  I knew I had to help in some way. I called Mr. Kubik, introduced myself and asked him what we could do to help.  My family then got involved and, with the Dallas congregation, we started collecting medical supplies and money for medication and Mr. Kubik delivered them.

Some time later while reading Mr. Kubik’s website, I noticed that he had set up an organization for a scholarship program to help the young international teens in our church extend their education beyond the eighth grade.  My husband and I did not graduate from college and have regretted it ever since. We both feel that we threw away a golden opportunity.  So I decided I wanted to help other teens better their life so they would not make the same mistake we made.

Many people have asked me, “Why not help kids here in the United States?” My answer is simply because here in the USA high school is a privilege that all teens are offered free of charge and there are many scholarship programs, student grants, loans, work programs and many other options to help students attend college. The young ladies and men in other countries do not have that privilege.  Most of the young ladies’ education opportunities are cut off at the eighth grade simply because their family cannot afford to send them to high school.

Again, my family and I got together and I told them I wanted to help out with some type of fund raiser.  We hosted our first Boot Scoot in September of 2007 and thanks to everyone’s generosity, we were able to send several students to high school. It is our goal to try to raise enough funds every year to send a minimum of 10 students to high school.  We hope to this event will grow bigger and better each year. Thank you so much for your support! and we look forward to seeing you this year!

..- Brenda