Carlton Denson

Carlton is from Thomasville, Georgia. After graduating in the top 25 percentile of his high school class, he went on to attend Mercer University with help from Kids’ Chance, Inc. In 1999, he graduated with a degree in computer science and now is building a career in the banking business.

Carlton’s father, Kenneth, suffered catastrophic injuries on his job as a welder in 1989. His greatest hope was to return to work, but his injuries have made that impossible.

We were happy to see Carlton at our 2003 Board of Directors Retreat last July. He came to express his deep appreciation for the help he received from Kids’ Chance while in college.

In a letter, he wrote: “…I have been allowed to achieve and attain certain goals and objectives that would not have been accessible if it were not for the (Kids’ Chance) scholarship … It has truly been a blessing that I was allowed the opportunity to attend Mercer University with the help of Kids’ Chance. What I have learned will increase the possibility of my being able to acquire a job in my chosen field of study, which is computer science.”

Carlton is progressing steadily in his career, undergirded by the pride of Kids’ Chance supporters.

Nic Neal (right) with his parents, Janice & Stan

Nicholas Neal, a KIDS’ CHANCE recipient since 2001, is a senior at the University of North Carolina-Asheville where he plays on the tennis team and receives a tennis scholarship. He carries a cumulative GPA of 3.4 and majors in accounting.

At the age of 39, Stanley Neal was working as a sales representative for a large corporation in January 1987 when a tragic automobile accident occurred. While Mr. Neal was aiding the driver of a stalled car (the daughter of a doctor he knew), another car hit Mr. Neal’s car, which in turn rammed into him, throwing him 50 feet onto the pavement. Removal of a subdural hematoma left him a quadriplegic. Dysphagia necessitates the use of a feeding tube and communication is accomplished through eye-blinks and occasional whispers. He requires full-time care, provided mostly by his wife Janice, a former high school math teacher who now tutors algebra students in her home.

The Neal family is extremely close knit and upbeat. It’s unfortunate that they did not find out about KIDS’ CHANCE until 2001 when attorney Mark Goodman told Mrs. Neal about us. Nick’s older brother, Matthew, graduated from Piedmont College with a business degree and formidable student-loan debt.

Tommy Tran,

son of Hung Tran, Alpharetta, GA.

Tommy is a sophomore at Georgia Perimeter College. He hopes to transfer to Emory University where he will pursue his dream of becoming a dentist.

Tommy’s father, Hung Tran, suffered a severe on-the-job injury in September 1999 while running a table saw in a sign factory in Lilburn. His condition is complicated by post-traumatic stress syndrome. Tommy’s mother helps support the family through her alterations business and both Tommy and his younger brother, Khanh, work part time jobs. Khanh is also a Kids’ Chance scholarship recipient.

Tommy writes that one of his goals in life is to become successful so that he can take good care of his parents as they have taken good care of him. “I am so grateful to have the Kids’ Chance scholarship – because of my family’s financial situation, it wouldn’t be possible for me to have a college education (without it).”

We’re certain that Tommy will doggedly pursue his goals and make his parents – and Kids’ Chance supporters – proud of him!

Allie Randall & Drew Thomas

First cousins Allie Randall and Drew Thomas both attend the University of Georgia on Kids’ Chance scholarships.

A native of Claxton, Georgia, Allie is a junior at UGA majoring in landscape architecture. Her father sustained severe injuries in 1975 in a fall from the tower of a forklift while working for a lumber company. Allie writes:

“I can’t even begin to imagine where I’d be if I didn’t have the Kids’ Chance scholarship. I’m sure I speak for all Kids’ Chance recipients when I say I couldn’t do it without you. I am thankful for angels who help my dreams come true.”

Drew will graduate this month with a degree in Agri-business. Although he has qualified for HOPE funds for all four years, his Kids’ Chance scholarship helped pay for books and other expenses not covered by HOPE. Drew’s father was killed in an on-the-job trucking accident in 1984 when Drew was only four years old. Now this fine young man is planning to put his education to use in his grandfather’s pine mulch business in his hometown of Glennville. He recently wrote to us:

“I often wonder how different things might have been in my life and the life of the family business if my father had not been killed during the prime of his life. THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for understanding the missing link in my life and the lives of all the other young people that you help. My mother’s prayers were answered when we discovered Kids’ Chance.”

Chandra Carswell

Despite some daunting obstacles, Chandra Carswell has realized her dream of earning a degree in psychology. She graduated in May 2003 from Valdosta State University.

After a rocky start at a private college, Chandra transferred to VSU, resolutely setting her face toward her goal. And she’s achieved it, with help from KIDS’ CHANCE!

Wendall Carswell, Chandra’s father, now lives in a permanent care home in Macon, dependent in all functions. Chandra, whose parents are divorced, is his legal guardian. When Chandra was a freshman in high school, she lived with her father who worked as a delivery man for a dry cleaning business in Atlanta. One morning Wendall hugged her as he dropped her off at school on his way to work. She remembers saying, “I love you,” as she jumped out of the car.

That day the Carswell’s lives would change forever. Responding to a call to come to the principal’s office, Chandra found her mother waiting with some devastating news. Wendall had been catastrophically injured in an accident as a car ran a red light and struck his van.

“I felt like I not only lost a parent, but (also) my best friend,” Chandra says. “With the help of my mother, Altemese, as well as family members, friends and the church, I have learned to deal with life’s many adversities and use them as a source of strength.”

Chandra became a Kids’ Chance scholarship recipient upon her entry into college in 1998. She says, “It would have been a lot harder without Kids’ Chance giving me the leverage to do more. This scholarship has afforded me the opportunity to fulfill my father’s dream of sending me to college. I feel that it is truly a blessing to have an organization like Kids’ Chance, Inc.”

Kids’ Chance supporters share our pride that Chandra Carswell has now fulfilled her own dream. We know she will succeed at whatever she pursues and will someday become a Kids’ Chance supporter, helping to restore hope to other young people in circumstances similar to her own.