Nurture 15 At-Risk Atlanta Preschoolers for a Year

Dear Friend,  

As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week at Sheltering Arms, we are especially grateful for you and the support you have given the children and families we serve at Sheltering Arms.  We recently reconnected with one of our alumna, Erika Sibbie, who attended Sheltering Arms Early Education and Family Centers in the mid 1980s. To let you know how you are changing lives, we wanted to share with you excerpts from two letters we received from Erika, one written when she was in high school, and the other received this fall.  We hope reading Erika's story will be a gift to you during this season of gratitude.

Excerpt of a letter from Sheltering Arms Alumna Erika Sibbie, High School Junior, 1997

“My formal education began at Sheltering Arms.  As my mom will tell you, it was the only affordable, well-managed facility where she felt comfortable leaving me.  I remember the field trips, the caring staff, and, most importantly, the friends I made during my stay there.  I attribute much of my success today to the diverse learning environment and discipline I experienced at Sheltering Arms.  In high school, I maintain a 3.5 grade point average and am very active in both academic and extracurricular activities.  Having recently traveled to Europe with members of my French class, I find travel very exciting, and I hope to go to Washington, DC, this summer to participate in a Presidential Classroom program.  My ambition upon graduating from high school is to enter the field of medicine.

“I contribute all that I have learned to the good role models who surrounded me throughout my childhood, including my mother.  Her drive and determination challenged me, and I think perhaps she saw a dream in the making.  As a single parent, I know she remains thankful for the wonderful support system she began to build at Sheltering Arms.  With all that I have learned and accomplished, I intend to be the very best that I can be!”

Excerpt of a letter from Sheltering Arms Alumna Dr. Erika Sibbie, 2010

“After graduating from high school, I attended Xavier University of Louisiana as a Biology Pre-Medicine major.  During my junior year I was one of twenty students who were accepted into The Undergraduate Mentorship Program at the University of California-San Francisco, a program designed to introduce undergraduate students to the field of dentistry.  After completing this program, I knew that dentistry was the profession for me.  I interviewed at two schools, was accepted at both, and decided to attend the Medical College of Georgia School of Dentistry.  I graduated from MCG in 2008, and have since been working in LaGrange as a General Dentist.  I one day hope to establish my own practice and to start a family in the Atlanta area.

“At Sheltering Arms, I always looked forward to recess when I would pick blades of grass and tie them together to make necklaces.  I remember anticipating my mother’s arrival at the end of each day, because she would always have a honey bun waiting for me in the car.  God forbid she didn’t….I would be an unhappy camper!  My mother described Sheltering Arms as an extremely nurturing and family-oriented environment.  She never once felt that I was being looked after by a ‘babysitter,’ but rather felt that I was being ‘reared’ by staff who truly cared and had my best interest at heart.  

“Sheltering Arms had a major impact in both my academic success and in my career as a dentist. However, I think it had an even greater impact on my mother.  I was raised in a single-parent household, and my mother struggled financially to provide for me and my sister.  She described Sheltering Arms as a helping hand when she needed a hand.  Imagine the sense of relief she felt when she discovered my childcare would cost only $3/week!  In fact, my mother came to mind as I read of how Sheltering Arms was created by a group of Atlanta women who cared for children as their mothers worked in cotton mills.

“When I reflect on my time at Sheltering Arms, it serves as a reminder that I come from very humble beginnings.  Growing up and seeing my mother struggle gave me that ‘drive’ I needed to succeed academically…to become the first doctor in my family…to make my mother proud…to make a difference in the world.  I currently work as a dentist in a primarily Medicaid/Peach State practice and provide dental treatment to disadvantaged families.  So, in a sense, I feel as if I’ve come full circle because I’m now able to give back to families who are in need, just as Sheltering Arms gave to my family in our time of need years ago.  Wherever life leads me, I know that giving back to the community, whether it’s financially, through volunteering, or mentoring, is something that will always be near and dear to my heart.

“As an alumna of Sheltering Arms, I would tell supporters of Sheltering Arms that your contributions don’t simply pay salaries or bills; your gifts invest in the lives of children who have the potential to be successful in life, despite their circumstances.  You’re investing in staff that will serve as positive role models for these children and provide them with a strong foundation, so that they can one day be successful and productive members of society.  You’re investing in our future and you can’t put a price tag on that!”

Thank you for all you do to give the children we serve a future as full of promise as Erika's.

Paige