Matt’s father was always an involved, cheerful dad to his kids. “He was always helping us out.” A jack-of-all-trades in their community, Matt’s dad offered help and support to everyone, up until the day he was injured. 

“He was a semi-truck driver, and he actually had a collision with another semi-truck driver. And that caused him to have a brain injury.” Unfortunately, the effects of Matt’s father’s injuries would never fade. Though he continued to be a support to his family, he was unable to show Matt and his brother how to survive life’s challenges. “He kind of had to sit back and watch us learn to do everything without him.” 

Without Matt’s father’s income, college would have been a struggle for his family. Thankfully, they came across Kids’ Chance of Illinois (KCIL). “My brother was also a recipient, two years before me,” Matt said. “I’m not sure exactly how my mom found out about it for my brother.” But it was a good thing she did because when Matt was ready to enter college just two years later, he knew where to turn for help. 

And Kids’ Chance still managed to surprise him, even with his brother’s experience to draw from. “I wasn’t expecting them to honestly like, be as helpful as they were,” Matt explained. Many scholarships do little more than pass out money to their recipients, but Kids’ Chance, on the other hand, brings a whole support system and community to its recipients. 

“Kids’ Chance was going above and beyond…it wasn’t just about sending a check for your school." 

Matt is currently studying electrical engineering at Harper College, an endeavor that would never have been possible without a Kids’ Chance scholarship. “My mom was kind of worried about if I was going to be going to school and how,” Matt explains. “I feel that [my family]’s relieved that I was able to be a recipient.”