You wouldn’t know it today, but as a small child, Mikayla endured her mother’s death, her father’s incarceration, and the passing of a loving grandfather who cared for her. At the age of 7, she came to live at Thornwell when no one else in her family was able to care for her. You and I can only imagine how hard that must have been for anyone, let alone a 7-year-old child. But to hear Mikayla share her story, she was able to enjoy a life on campus that included summers filled with fun! Now Mikayla has come ‘full circle’ and is a Thornwell summer counselor—serving others whose pain she knows all too well.
Thanks to friends like you, Mikayla was met with loving care and a safe, family-like home. Her Teaching Parents shepherded her. They took Mikayla to church and showed her what it means to follow and love God. At church, she met her small group leader who would later become her forever family at the age of 18. Today, she’s earned her bachelor’s degree and is well on her way to earning her master’s degree in Clinical Health. She would tell you that if it weren’t for Thornwell and caring people like you, she wouldn’t have had a second chance.