OUR WHY…FUSION IMPACT CENTER

YOU KNOW HOW EVERY FAMILY HAS THEIR THING—THEIR DYNAMIC, THEIR DAILY CHAOS, THEIR MAGIC? OURS IS NO DIFFERENT. WE'RE RAISING THREE INCREDIBLE KIDS, AND NOT ONE OF THEM FITS NEATLY INTO A BOX.

OUR OLDEST DAUGHTER IS 14, ADOPTED THROUGH FOSTER CARE. SHE’S NONVERBAL, AFFECTED BY PRENATAL OPIOID EXPOSURE, AND DEVELOPMENTALLY DELAYED—BUT IF JOY HAD A FACE, IT WOULD BE HERS. SHE LIGHTS UP OUR WORLD, ESPECIALLY WHEN MUSIC’S ON AND WE’RE DANCING IN THE KITCHEN. THAT’S OUR HAPPY PLACE.

OUR SON, WHO’S ALMOST 12, IS THIS QUIET LITTLE ATHLETE. HE’S NATURALLY GIFTED BUT STRUGGLES WITH ANXIETY AND CONFIDENCE. HE’S THE KIND OF KID WHO CHEERS ON OTHERS MORE THAN HIMSELF—TINY BUT MIGHTY IN HEART.

AND OUR 10-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER? SHE’S THE FIRE. SHE’S THE ONE MAKING SURE NO ONE’S LEFT OUT. IF SHE SEES A KID BEING OVERLOOKED, SHE’S PULLING THEM INTO THE GROUP BEFORE ANYONE CAN BLINK. SHE’S STRONG, FIERCE, AND HARD ON HERSELF WHEN SHE’S NOT PERFECT.

THREE KIDS. THREE DIFFERENT SETS OF NEEDS. AND ONE BIG CHALLENGE: FINDING A PLACE WHERE WE CAN ALL FEEL CONNECTED, ACTIVE, AND ACCEPTED.

WE’VE TRIED THE USUAL STUFF—SPORTS, PROGRAMS, LESSONS—BUT MOST ARE TOO COMPETITIVE, TOO EXPENSIVE, OR JUST NOT BUILT FOR FAMILIES LIKE OURS. WE NEEDED SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

THAT’S WHERE FUSION CAME FROM. NOT JUST AS AN IDEA, BUT A REAL, LIVED NEED. WE WANTED A PLACE WHERE KIDS WHO DIDN’T MAKE THE TEAM—OR DIDN’T EVEN WANT TO TRY OUT—COULD STILL FEEL LIKE THEY BELONGED. WHERE MOVEMENT, MUSIC, TEAMWORK, AND GROWTH WEREN’T ABOUT WINNING, BUT ABOUT BECOMING.

BUT HERE’S THE TRUTH WE DON’T TALK ABOUT ENOUGH: IT’S NOT JUST THE KIDS WHO NEED SUPPORT—PARENTS DO TOO. CAREGIVERS ARE TIRED. WE’RE NAVIGATING SCHOOL MEETINGS, THERAPIES, APPOINTMENTS, AND THE EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER OF RAISING LITTLE HUMANS WITH BIG FEELINGS. WE CRAVE CONNECTION JUST AS MUCH AS OUR KIDS DO. WE WANT TO FIND OUR PEOPLE, SHARE OUR STRUGGLES, AND CELEBRATE THE SMALL WINS THAT MEAN THE WORLD IN OUR HOUSE.

AND AT THE CENTER OF IT ALL—WHAT TRULY HOLDS US TOGETHER—IS OUR FAITH. OUR SPIRITUAL CONNECTION IS WHAT GROUNDS US, GUIDES US, AND REMINDS US WHY SERVING OTHERS AND BUILDING COMMUNITY IS MORE THAN JUST SOMETHING WE DO—IT’S WHO WE ARE. WE BELIEVE THAT WHEN FAMILIES SERVE, CONNECT, AND GROW TOGETHER, SOMETHING SACRED HAPPENS.

AT FUSION, WE WANT KIDS TO LEARN HOW TO SET GOALS, BUILD CONFIDENCE, AND TRY AGAIN—EVEN WHEN THINGS DON’T GO THEIR WAY. AND WE WANT PARENTS TO FEEL EQUIPPED AND INCLUDED—NOT LEFT ON THE SIDELINES. WE WANT FAMILIES OF EVERY KIND TO WALK IN AND SAY, “THIS IS OUR PLACE.”

FUSION IS MORE THAN A BUILDING. IT’S OUR FAMILY’S DREAM TURNED MISSION. AND WE TRULY BELIEVE IT CAN CHANGE LIVES—BECAUSE IT’S ALREADY CHANGED OURS.