I recently had the chance to visit Coronado High School and sit in on something the school has built called Cougars Care.
Cougars Care is a nonprofit organization created at Coronado High School to meet students’ tangible, day-to-day needs—food, clothing, school supplies, and help with class and activity fees. It’s designed to be visible and accessible on campus, with a confidential grant process reviewed by a student-and-staff committee that aims to respond fairly while still encouraging ownership when appropriate.
On the ground, Cougars Care runs like a nonprofit inside the school. Students are organized into teams. They handle things like communication, volunteers, and operations. And they keep a “corner market” stocked so students—and members of the larger community—can pick up food, clothing, and other essentials when needs come up.
I was invited to share a bit about the School Connect model. There are some natural connections as both Cougars Care and School Connect are working for the flourishing of communities connected to local schools. It was a joy to share a bit of my own story, the path that led me here and what we are building in the city.
What I’ll remember most is the Q&A. In addition to a bunch of questions about my story and family, the students asked careful, practical questions—how we operate, our internal teams/structure, how funding works, how a church can be in relationship with a school, and more.
In the School Connect village model, community members join alongside a school to offer support—consistent presence and practical help. During our conversation, a student asked:
“Would there ever be an opportunity for our school to join another school’s village?”
I love the way these students are thinking and being encouraged to think beyond their school. Sometimes it is really easy to think that one day, at some future point, in some future life, we may be in a position to serve others. We place things like age, income, knowledge, time, etc. as barriers in beginning to show compassion to those around us.
These students are already a picture of what can happen when students are given responsibility, support and a framework to enter unfolding stories. It’s one thing to build something helpful inside your own walls. It’s another thing to look around and ask, “Could this help someone else?”
Everyone could learn from these students. We say it this way— start where you can, partner where you can. Small changes in paradigms, small acts of courage and generosity compound. Sometimes it is as easy as noticing where there is struggle and taking a simple next step to contribute. Faithful steps turn into momentum—and momentum can turn into a village.