Andrew Ambrose
Lake Mead Christian Academy
Henderson, NV
When asking Tessa Ambrose how her son Andrew was adapting to his parent-selected school, she had to fight back tears. “I can’t describe the feeling,” she says. “This school has changed my son’s life as well as mine.” Now a freshman in high school, and exceeding expectations at Lake Mead Christian Academy, Tessa knows none of this would have been possible without the financial assistance from the AAA Scholarship Foundation.
A stay at home mother of three, Tessa was adamant about teaching her children the importance of education at a young age. Formerly attending their local public school, she learned early on that her son Andrew was very bright; however, he was having trouble focusing on tasks being given to him. When she found out that Andrew had Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Tessa was worried that the teachers at Andrew’s school would not be as empathetic to this as she hoped. The issue actually wasn’t that the teachers didn’t want to help – it was that classroom sizes were already exceeding the normal limit, which left them little time in their day to further help students, like Andrew, receive the one-on-one attention that they needed. Andrew felt neglected, and Tessa was beginning to run out of options.
Tessa was determined to put her son in an educational setting that would address his specific learning needs, but her family’s financial standing was holding her back. With her husband being the primary source of income, Tessa was unsure of how many options, if any, they had. It was clear that Andrew needed to be in a school that was both aware of his learning disability while also nurturing of it, but the next best school was Lake Mead Christian Academy – a private school in town. Tessa simply didn’t have the financial means to make this possible, but was adamant in finding a way. After repeated visits with the financial aid office, she was ecstatic to find out about the AAA Scholarship Foundation.
According to Tessa, the overall change in Andrew since attending his new school has been extraordinary. Not only has his self-esteem grown tremendously, Tessa can’t get him to leave school! The teachers at Lake Mead Christian Academy have surpassed her expectations. They offer both before and after school assistance to all students, and if they see students struggling with a subject, they have them attend study hall where teachers and their aides are available to work with them one-on-one until they feel confident with their work. “They care about me mom, the teachers care,” says Andrew Ambrose.
Because of his learning disability, Andrew needed more time on assignments and tests than his peers. The teachers were more than understanding and allowed him as much time as possible. If for some reason he didn’t do well on a certain test, the teachers would call him back in and go over it personally with him to see what he didn’t quite understand.
“Before this school, I had to pay for tutoring, which left us low on groceries for the week,” says Tessa Ambrose. “Now I can’t get him to leave! The school truly wants their students to succeed.”
With his new-found confidence, Andrew has also auditioned for the theatre program at his school. In the most recent productions, You’re a Good Man and Charlie Brown, Andrew was cast as the lead role for both! With the additional help offered to him by his new school, Andrew now has the time to pursue his love for theater without worrying about falling behind with his grades. Andrew also loves studying world history and English – he is now in English honors and maintaining A’s and B’s on every report card. Tessa knows none of his accomplishments would have been possible without the ongoing support from the faculty members at Lake Mead Christian Academy, as well as the AAA Scholarship Foundation. One afternoon Andrew came home eager to write a letter. When Tessa asked him who the letter was for, Andrew replied “the school told me I should write a letter to AAA. I need to thank them for their help!”
“Because of the AAA Scholarship Foundation, my son has the confidence to strive for excellence,” says Tessa Ambrose. “Andrew tells me often how thankful he is for the AAA Scholarship Foundation and what a blessing it has been to him. As a parent, I appreciate all of the time the people put in to make this organization possible. I’m truly grateful.”
About AAA Scholarship Foundation
The AAA Scholarship Foundation awards scholarships solely to qualifying low-income, disabled and/or displaced students. The typical AAA Scholarship student is an ethnic minority living with a struggling single parent/caregiver in a high crime community. More than 85 percent of AAA scholarships are distributed to children at or below 185 percent of poverty. Many children are either below grade level, failing at their previous school or both when they receive a scholarship. Parents, who find their children in these circumstances and are concerned about their future, look for viable options. They seek an atmosphere that challenges their child and will reverse inadequate learning, social patterns and the potential lifelong negative impact. They wish to change their child’s learning environment, acquaintances and the unfortunate predictable outcomes associated with school failure.
AAA Scholarships are funded in Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania by corporations that redirect a portion of their state tax liability to the AAA Scholarship Foundation in exchange for a tax credit (dollar-for-dollar in Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia and Nevada, and up to 90 percent in Pennsylvania). The AAA Scholarship Foundation is one of the only approved Scholarship 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organizations exclusively serving qualifying low-income, disabled and/or displaced students through these tax credit scholarship programs. AAA Scholarship Foundation provides your company with the convenience and efficiency of a single-solution for participating in multiple state tax credit scholarship programs. For more information, or to learn how your corporation can participate in the program, visit www.AAAScholarships.org, or contact Kerri Vaughan at kerri@aaascholarships.org or 888 707-2465 ext. 730.
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