Called to Coach exists to provide high-quality coaching, mentorship, and advocacy for students involved in color guard, band, and speech & debate. These performance-based extracurriculars offer powerful opportunities for student growth, helping young people develop discipline, creativity, confidence, and leadership.

Our mission is to support the whole student by focusing on both skill development and character formation. Through consistent and caring coaching, we help students build strong work habits, effective communication skills, and a sense of accountability to themselves and their teams. We strive to create environments where students feel supported, challenged, and empowered to succeed.

Called to Coach serves middle and high school students, with a particular focus on those who have limited access to resources, instruction, or consistent adult mentorship. Many students face financial, social, or personal barriers that make participation in extracurricular activities difficult. We exist to help reduce those barriers by providing instruction, encouragement, and advocacy that allow students to fully engage and grow.

Extracurriculars Saved My Life

Extracurriculars didn’t just shape who I am — they saved my life.

I grew up in chaos. I won’t go into the details of my childhood, but it involved things no child should have to navigate — things that would earn movie ratings no child should ever be exposed to. Both of my parents were toxic and narcissistic. They divorced when I was seven, and my mom gained sole custody of me and my sisters. From that point on, stability didn’t exist.

We moved constantly. By the time I finally reached high school, it was my tenth school. I never had time to settle, to feel safe, or to belong.

What I did have was music. I played the flute. And then, one day, I was introduced to color guard. Later, speech and debate followed. I participated in many extracurriculars, but those two changed everything. They didn’t just give me activities — they gave me identity, safety, and hope. They shaped me into who I am today.

And now, as a coach, I see more clearly than ever how desperately students still need extracurriculars — maybe now more than ever. Growing up, I felt like the oddball because everyone else seemed to have parents. Today’s students often have something even worse: parents who never married, parents trapped in trauma, parents who are either overwhelmingly controlling or painfully absent. Either extreme hurts kids. Either way, home doesn’t feel safe.

That’s why extracurriculars matter.

1. Extracurriculars Provide Stability

Children living in chaos need one thing desperately: routine.

Extracurriculars provide that. Scheduled practices. Competitions. Expectations. Structure. When life feels completely out of control, having a place where you know when you’re supposed to be, what you’re supposed to do, and who will be there creates peace.

For me, that routine was survival. It was the one place where the rules made sense and the ground didn’t constantly shift beneath my feet.

2. Extracurriculars Provide Freedom From Home

I stayed after school whenever I could — not because I didn’t like learning, but because going home meant walking back into chaos.

School activities gave me freedom. They gave me safety. They gave me adults who cared.

Now, as a coach of two extracurricular programs, I see this need every single day. We talk about the rise in anxiety and depression among teens — and it’s real. Some students are crushed under impossible expectations. Others are forgotten entirely because involvement feels like “too much work” for their parents.

In both cases, the child suffers.

Having a trusted adult who shows up consistently, teaches skills, listens, and cares can literally change the trajectory of a young person’s life. Extracurriculars create that relationship.

3. Extracurriculars Give Purpose

When you grow up in chaos, you lose your sense of self.

I was constantly told — directly and indirectly — that I wasn’t good enough. Being called names, being demeaned, being expected to carry adult responsibilities far too young takes a toll. I was the oldest. I helped raise my sisters. By junior high, I had taken over managing my family’s finances because my mom couldn’t.

I never got to just be a kid. I never got to ask, Who am I? What do I want to be?

Extracurriculars gave me purpose. They gave me a reason to leave the house. They gave me something I could be proud of. I could perform. I could speak. I could succeed at something that belonged to me.

Today, I watch my students discover that same sense of purpose — sometimes for the first time in their lives.

More Than Activities — It’s Ministry

There are countless reasons extracurriculars matter, and listing them all would be impossible. You can analyze it from an educational standpoint, but I see it from a ministry standpoint.

My husband and I have served in youth ministry for over 20 years. My students know I’m Christian — but I don’t force my faith on them. I lead by example. Youth ministry doesn’t only happen inside church walls. The mission field is our schools. It’s in relationships. It’s in consistency. It’s in showing up.

Some of the most meaningful conversations I’ve ever had — about life, trauma, faith, fear, and hope — have happened while coaching.

And yes, my faith carried me through the worst parts of my childhood.

The Reality No One Likes to Talk About

I started two programs at a Title I school where every student receives free lunch. I intentionally attract the students who are often overlooked — the “in-between” kids. The ones who don’t quite fit anywhere else.

Color guard grew from five students to twenty. Speech and debate grew the same way. What started as clubs became a full-time job.

But here’s the truth: there is no full-time pay.

For the past 18 months, I’ve invested my own savings to keep these programs alive. I’m almost out. After four years of building something meaningful, I simply haven’t had the time — or capacity — to fundraise for myself.

People don’t realize what coaching actually requires. It’s not just working with kids. It’s administration. Bookkeeping. Travel planning. Logistics. Transportation. Emotional labor. Crisis management. Coaching is all-consuming.

What I’m Asking For

I don’t need donors.

I need champions.

Champions don’t just give money — they believe, advocate, and stand beside the work. Right now, there are days I feel like I’m doing this alone. Between coaching, ministry, caring for students, and trying to finish my own degree, the weight has been overwhelming.

Being vulnerable like this is hard. I don’t like putting myself in the spotlight. But I need support.

Financially, this is where I am:
My husband is an associate pastor at a small church of under 30 people. His income is less than $20,000 a year. My income last year was less than $15,000 a year. I lost my nonprofit position when funding disappeared — a job where I once earned $27,000. I took that loss as a sign to focus fully on coaching, even though it came at a significant cost.

My goal this year is to raise $20,000 — not for programs, but to sustain me. I never want to charge students to participate. I will always find ways to fund the programs themselves. What’s missing is support for the person holding it all together.

If you’re willing to have a conversation, please reach out.
If you’re willing to become a champion, I invite you to stand with me.

The question is simple: