Blog / Finding Hope; Fulfilling Dreams
Finding Hope; Fulfilling Dreams
written by Tracy Terrill, Executive Director of Shepherds College
A tagline is often used to summarize the overall benefit of a product, program, service, or business. We see and hear taglines regularly as part of everyday life. Do you have a favorite? Can you identify the companies that use these taglines?
You can do it; we can help.
Melts in your mouth, not in your hands.
The new tagline for Shepherds College — Finding Hope; Fulfilling Dreams — does a fantastic job of summarizing the overall benefit of our school to a variety of audiences.
For a student, Finding Hope; Fulfilling Dreams speaks to the search for belonging. An opportunity. The prospect of a future. Most Shepherds College students want desperately to have an opportunity to attend college, just like their siblings. They desire to establish their own identities away from home and belong to a community such as this one. Our students long for a meaningful life. It is at Shepherds College that students with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) find hope and, through a great deal of hard work, can pursue and ultimately
fulfill their dreams.
For a parent of a child with IDD, Finding Hope; Fulfilling Dreams often speaks to their desire for their son or daughter to be seen as more than just someone with a disability. They long for their child to have opportunities for positive, meaningful life experiences that will challenge them and bring them joy. I find that so many of our students’ parents are driven by the thought of what will happen to their child with IDD when mom and dad are no longer in the picture. The opportunity to send their student to Shepherds College to receive holistic training centered around our guiding philosophy of Appropriate Independence™ fulfills their desires — their dreams for their student.
For a staff member at Shepherds College, the opportunity to serve our students in this way provides hope and fulfills our dreams. Collectively, we desire to be used by God in a way that utilizes our gifts and strengths and helps us fulfill the purpose He has for each of our lives. Shepherds College, though an extremely challenging vocation, provides each of us an opportunity to be involved in service that is life-changing.
Shepherds College is a place where Finding Hope; Fulfilling Dreams is a reality. Whether you are a current or prospective student, parent, or staff member, I hope you will consider the ways in which Shepherds College can facilitate the pursuit of your hopes and dreams and help you understand and fulfill God’s purpose for your life.