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| A young Kiona Helping out in the Homework Room at Granny's House |
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| Signing in kids as they arrive at Granny's House |
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| Hanging out with "Miss Adrian" (Adrian Clifton), G.I.R.L.S. Group Leader |
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| Central Methodist University in Fayette, MO |
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| CMU's motto and values |
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| At CMU with the key to her dorm room and to her future! |
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| The perfect place to photograph a student who's on a track scholarship |
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| Poppi's and Granny Pam's very first visit to CMU's campus |
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| Kiona finally made it to college: VICTORY INDEED!! |
For more than seven years, we’ve talked about it, brainstormed it, and probably even role-played it a time or two before the day actually came: Kiona Hughes is a college girl!
Sixth grade Kiona first came bouncing into Granny’s House with a great big grin and eyes wide, full of curiosity about this place in the neighborhood called “Granny’s House.” She’d heard about it from a neighbor and immediately felt at home. She parked her backpack and her heart there everyday after school.
Early on, it was obvious that Kiona was a leader. She peppered us with questions like, “Granny, what can I do to help… what can we do to help inform the volunteers of what’s goin’ on around here every week? Can I have the job of signing kids in?” Granny’s House quickly became her home away from home and she wanted to do whatever she could to help make her “home” run smoothly.
During those seven+ years, her pathway was strewn with all kinds of challenges - some much broader than a twelve-year-old’s shoulders should have to bear, but at every intersection, I encouraged her, “Kiona, there’s gonna come a day when you have your own place and make your own decisions… that first place will be your college dorm room.” We often joked about the day she’d own the key to that first “place” and get to say who’s in, who’s out, and “…by the way, it’s time to get out!” We have had this, sometimes, funny conversation, dozens of times over the years.
Kiona’s challenging seasons were tempered by her participation in just about every program or group available at Granny’s House: God’s Precious Jewels, The Princess Academy, Caleb - The Science Club, and the G.I.R.L.S. Group. During her senior year at Hickman High School, Kiona became our very first paid “Junior Staff” member, helping in office with various administrative tasks and assisting with groups for younger Granny’s House kids.
This fall, Kiona finally embarked on her long-awaited journey to Central Methodist University in Fayette, MO where she’s a student athlete on a track scholarship, running on the women’s track team. On our very first visit to CMU’s campus to see Kiona, there were no words to describe the joy we felt as, now, College-Freshman-Kiona took us on a tour of her beautiful campus. Since we had talked about this day so many times before, my heart sang as she turned the key in the lock of her dorm room door. That door is leading Kiona Hughes to an exciting, full-of-promise future.
“Honestly, I just love Granny’s House sooooo much! When I look back at my life
over the years, there’s no way I would be in anybody’s college if I had not had
a place called HOME: Granny’s House." -Kiona Hughes
over the years, there’s no way I would be in anybody’s college if I had not had
a place called HOME: Granny’s House." -Kiona Hughes
