Noggin in 2018

2018 S.P.A.R.K.

In 2018, we introduced several new programs that expanded both our reach and our ability to serve students more holistically, equipping them for today’s challenges and preparing them for the future. Earlier that year, our youngest son was diagnosed with Autism, and David and I quickly found ourselves navigating the complexities of advocating for services through the SPED system at school. Even with David’s background as a teacher, our network of knowledgeable friends, and the incredible support of a close friend who was both a behavioral therapist and ARD advocate, the process was still incredibly hard and frustrating. We had knowledge, preparation, resources, and someone holding our hand, yet it was still overwhelming. David and I knew that Jonathan would struggle to succeed academically if we didn't advocate for his needs.

That experience opened our eyes to how vital ARD advocacy is, especially for parents who may not have the support or resources we did. Low-income students often face significant academic gaps, and without the right accommodations and support, they simply won’t thrive.

That’s why we developed our ARD Advocacy Program. Each parent receives 10 hours of one-on-one consultation to help them develop academic and behavioral goals to present to the school, along with strategies to support those goals. Our advocates attend ARD meetings alongside the parent, not just to explain the process, but to stand in the gap and help advocate for what their child needs to succeed.

That same year, we launched our Career Chat program. We recognized that students from low-income families often aren’t aware of the wide range of career opportunities available to them. Many have only been exposed to wage-earning jobs, not careers. And really, how can a child dream if they don’t know what’s possible? Career Chat was created to help change that. In its earliest form, the program was simple. We invited professionals to speak to a small group of students at a low-income apartment complex after school. These speakers shared their education and training paths and gave students a glimpse into their daily work life. Since then, Career Chat has grown significantly. Today, we serve 400 to 500 students in just a few days through a virtual format. Students hear from multiple professionals representing a wide variety of industries, from across the country. The virtual setting has opened the door to more creativity and flexibility. Our speakers have taken students behind the scenes—into the kitchen of a caterer, the cockpit of a pilot, a police officer’s squad car, a judge’s bench in a courtroom, and more. One of the most exciting moments was a conversation with a Secret Service agent who once served on President Barack Obama’s detail.

Looking back, 2018 was a pivotal year. It helped clarify our priorities and shaped the model we use today. We continue to grow by listening, learning, and walking alongside the students and families we serve.

2018 Timeline

April- First Career Chat event

June- Be The Light 8k Fun Run

August- ARD Advocacy program established

Year 2

2017 Career Chat

2017 was the year Noggin started to take off.  We were starting to gain our bearings and learning more about the support our students needed.  At the end of 2016, we met with a donor who asked us what we needed most. The answer was easy—an office! David and I had been using our apartment, and with the sheer volume of summer program activities, our bedroom was barely holding up. Plus, assembling the activities wasn’t really a two-person job. We needed volunteers to help us and certainly couldn’t invite them into our bedroom to cut and paste with us! By February of that year, two donors stepped in and solved our problem, and the Noggin headquarters was established in Arlington, TX. Side note—Robin and Chris still generously cover our office rent every year!

In 2017 we also reached several key programming milestones. We launched our private tutoring program, Homework Heroes, along with Aspire Academic and Career Mentoring.  Initially, we offered twelve one-hour sessions to as many students we could find, believing that personalized tutoring with a certified teacher could make a significant impact in closing learning gaps. Due to funding limitations, each student only received twelve sessions, and we hoped that this jumpstart would set them on the right path. Years later, with more financial support, we refined our approach to be even more effective—but more on that later!

Homework Heroes was offered at low-income apartment complexes where existing programs provided dinner and homework help for resident children. These programs usually had around 30 students with just one person assisting them all–hardly a recipe for success. Seeing the need for more support, we started recruiting volunteers to provide homework help for these programs. 

Aspire Academic and Career Mentoring launched as a pilot program for 9th–12th grade students, beginning with four freshman students from a local nonprofit, Integrity Mentors. We created this program recognizing that many students have the potential to pursue higher education and build meaningful, fulfilling careers but lack the necessary resources and guidance to achieve their goals. Each student was paired with a mentor who met with them monthly to explore future possibilities and provide support along their journey.

The Homework Heroes and Aspire programs unfortunately had to be discontinued due to lack of funding and volunteer support. Our goal is to revive these programs in the future as we grow.

These first two years were instrumental in shaping the foundation’s strategy and vision. Through trial and error, we gained invaluable insights into the real needs of our students and the challenges of sustaining impactful programs. We learned that while short-term interventions could provide a boost, long-term, consistent support was necessary for lasting change. These experiences reinforced the importance of financial sustainability, volunteer engagement, and strategic program development. The lessons learned during this time continue to inform our approach today, ensuring that as we grow, we do so with a stronger foundation, a clearer mission, and a greater capacity to serve the students who need us most.

2017 Timeline

February- first Noggin office and headquarters established

August- Aspire Academic and Career Mentoring program established

October- Tutoring program established

November- First Homework Heroes event

In the beginning...

S.P.A.R.K. (Summers Producing Academically Ready Kids)

2015 was the year that I finally decided to pull the trigger on starting the foundation. A friend of mine who had a nonprofit informed me that he worked with the SMU Small Business Clinic to draft and file his paperwork. It was an easy process and it was free, so I decided to go that route. They only took certain cases, so I had to apply and be accepted into the program. Thankfully, I made the cut, however, I was told that to be approved as a nonprofit, a $400 application fee was required by the state. At the time my husband, David, and I had financial constraints and, $400 might as well have been $400,000. We just didn't have the money. But I forged ahead and prayed that the Lord would provide. The process went smoothly and we got everything done within a few months. Lo and behold, our financial situation was in a much different place by the time they asked me to write that check. In October of 2015, Noggin Educational Foundation became an official non-profit! That was only the first step, but the first miracle.

With that first step out of the way, I was terrified to make a move because I knew nothing about running a non-profit. I was an entrepreneur. I had started a video production business (10 years strong) and a tutoring business with my husband, but the non-profit world was completely unknown territory. My friend with the nonprofit called me one day and asked why I hadn't made any progress. A few months had passed and he knew nothing had been done. I told him I was afraid to move forward and he invited me to lunch at Chick-Fil-A. We went to Chick-fil-A because I had a two year old and he needed a place for her to play while we talked shop. Lawrence inspired me out of my analysis paralysis that day and encouraged me to think of one area we could make the most impact.

I had already done some research and found that the summertime was when a lot of learning loss occurs for most kids and is where the achievement gap widens for low-income students. I believed that doing a summer program would be the way for us to make the most impact. Lawrence told me my next step was to figure out how much I needed to run a summer program and to start asking for money. THAT terrified me! I've always been one of those people who claimed to be "terrible at sales". Usually people who feel they're "terrible at sales"are afraid to put people out. I was 100% that person, so this was going to be a true faith walk.

Around that same time I had another meeting with a friend who was a very successful nonprofit executive. She had raised millions of dollars. Shari told me that I needed to focus on the low hanging fruit. We'd not proven ourselves as a nonprofit and I had not proven myself as a nonprofit leader yet. The likelihood of a random company or random person giving us money was relatively low. Family and friends and other associates already knew and trusted David and me so we would likely be most successful with our sphere of influence.

So, David and I set out to call everybody we knew to ask them to support our efforts. We got on the phone with as many people as we could think of and told them about our vision and why this was on our hearts. We needed $10,000 for the summer program and I remember that it seemed like an insurmountable amount of money. Neither of us had raised that much money before. After two months of calling, to our surprise, we had raised $12,000! That was our second miracle.

In the summer of 2016, we started the S.P.A.R.K program, Summers Producing Academically Ready Kids. I reached out to several low-income apartment complexes to see if they would be interested in allowing us to serve their children. The program would be free for the complexes because we had raised the funds, so it seemed like a no-brainer. After presenting the opportunity to multiple complexes, finally two agreed.

David and I spent the end of the Spring creating and assembling math and reading activities, sitting up nights cutting and pasting in our bedroom. I remember one of the activities I created was several puzzles and each one took the length of a movie to cut. There was no Cricut then! By the beginning of the summer our little bedroom was overrun with bags of activities, but we were ready!

That summer we provided programming for 6 weeks, serving about 150 students. It was amazing to see the impact we had on them.

We ended 2016 with a motivated and excited four-person board of directors, a successful summer program, and a few fundraisers under our belts. There was still a lot to figure out, but we had a bonified non-profit with unlimited potential and joy in our hearts.

2015-2016 Timeline

October 15, 2015 - Noggin is established as a 501(c)(3)

April 2016 - First Board of Directors meeting

June - First S.P.A.R.K.

July - First #BoughtABackpack Challenge (200 backpacks collected)

September - First North Texas Giving Day - Raise $2,000 with 2 weeks notice!