Our History

It all started one April evening when “Susan” arrived at the shelter where I was a volunteer. She was accompanied by her 4 year old, her 18 month old and her 5 month old twins. As if that wasn’t enough she was pregnant with her fifth child, and she was only 19 years old. As I drove home the questions rolled in my head: What was going to happen to the children? How could Susan let herself get pregnant for the fourth time? And then I realized: I didn’t know Susan’s story. What role models did Susan have as she was growing up? Who was in her life to guide her onto a different path? A still, small voice suggested that I could share a different message with children before they got themselves involved in drugs, sex and gangs. Perhaps I could help them understand the importance of graduating from high school and going to college, of staying away from bad influences, of choosing a different path—a Path To Shine. From there, I worked with MUST Ministries to identify Smyrna students who might benefit from an after-school tutoring program; together we identified a nearby elementary school. Realizing that transportation was going to be a significant issue, I reached out to a church that was a short walk from the school, to ask if Path To Shine could use their space. When I met the pastor, I immediately found another faith community with the same vision, and he was eager to help. And so we began.