The Biehl Family
Tucson, AZ
It’s a Monday morning in Tucson, Ariz., when Dana Biehl and her husband Terrence carve out some time to share their family’s experience with the AAA Scholarship Foundation. For the couple, who are parents to seven children ranging in age from 5 months to 16 years old, time is a valuable resource, one they are often short on. However, hearing their 3-year-old Gemma chat excitedly, eager to say hello to the person on the phone, it is clear that one resource this family is not short on is love.
Born and raised in Ukraine, Dana first came to the United States in 2007 through a college work program, landing a summer job at a park in Wisconsin. It was the following summer when she returned to the U.S. – this time in Wyoming – that she met Terrence. The two eventually married and started a family, establishing a life in Tucson, where Terrence works for the U.S. Postal Service while Dana is a dedicated stay-at-home parent.
When their oldest son, Sam, was preparing to start school, the Biehls researched educational options in their area. Aside from being plagued with low performance ratings, the public schools in their district did not have the type of environment they felt would help spur their son’s growth. They considered other options as well – including charter and private schools. When they visited St. Joseph Catholic School, they knew they had found the one; the culture, strong academic program and family-like environment were exactly what they were looking for. However, as a one-income family, affording the tuition would be challenging, if not impossible.
“We knew this school was the right fit for our family, we just needed some extra assistance that would make it a possibility for us,” explains Terrance. “Thankfully, the school staff told us about AAA Scholarships and we applied, hopeful that it would be the answer we needed.”
“Receiving the acceptance letter from AAA was a huge relief,” adds Dana. “Sending your child off to school for the first time is sometimes scary. But knowing we were sending him to an environment that felt like an extension of our home, made things so much easier.”
Since that time, in addition to Sam, three more of the Biehl children have received AAA Scholarships – Chloe, Timothy and William.
Sam, who attended St. Joseph until he graduated from 8th grade, is currently finishing up his 10th grade year at St. Augustine Catholic High School. Over the years, he has developed a strong educational foundation – including a love for math. Thanks to the school’s tutors, he has been able to overcome any difficulties he faces. He has participated in several extracurricular activities, including track and field in 7th and 8th grade, as well as golf, tennis and theater in high school. He also dedicates his spare time to serving the community through youth group activities and even works as a student advisor to help fellow classmates. His experiences at St. Joseph and St. Augustine have inspired his future goal of becoming a priest.
Chloe, who also attended St. Joseph and is now completing her ninth-grade year at St. Augustine, is paving her own path of success through school. Like her older brother, Chloe’s favorite subject is math and she has participated in sports such as track and field during 6th and 7th grade. And this year, she discovered a new interest in playing the piano, thanks to the array of electives available at St. Augustine.
AAA Scholarships have also enabled Timothy and William to get a jump start on their educational journey at St. Joseph. Timothy, who is finishing up second grade, was able to overcome his struggles in math with help from his dedicated teacher, Mrs. McGarey, and has found a love for reading and writing, becoming quite good at crafting short stories. His younger brother, William, is just getting started in school as a Kindergartener, but he is already making strides and was recognized for high scores on his academic progress assessment (MAP).
“Without the AAA Scholarship Foundation and its donors, our children would not have the same opportunities they have been given both educationally and developmentally on so many levels,” says Dana.
“We cannot imagine our children going anywhere else and excelling the way they have and will continue to do with the help from AAA Scholarships,” adds Terrance. “To the donors and others that have made this possible for our family as well as so many others – thank you!”
About AAA Scholarship Foundation
AAA Scholarship Foundation promotes the advancement of education by administering educational choice programs. The typical AAA scholarship student is either below grade level, failing at their previous school, or both, when they receive an income-based scholarship. Parents, who find their children in these circumstances and care about their future look for viable options. They seek an atmosphere that challenges and engages their child to reverse inappropriate learning and/or social patterns and the lifelong negative impact they imply. They wish to change their child’s learning environment, acquaintances and the unfortunate predictable outcomes associated with school failure.
Another is the first-time student, who is just entering kindergarten. Parents, wanting to empower their child’s academic journey from day one, choose the AAA scholarship so that their child will have a quality education tailored specifically for their learning needs ensuring their time in school is a seamless experience from K-12.
AAA Scholarships are funded in Arizona, Florida, Georgia and Nevada by companies that redirect a portion of their state tax liability to the AAA Scholarship Foundation in exchange for a dollar-for-dollar tax credit. AAA Scholarship Foundation is one of the only 501(c)(3) nonprofit scholarship organizations approved to administer these legislatively-authorized tax credit scholarship programs in multiple states. 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 company can participate in the program, visit www.AAAScholarships.org, or contact Kerri Vaughan at kerri@aaascholarships.org or 888-707-2465 ext. 730.