God’s Model to Transform a Child into a Successful Adult

How does a child become a successful adult? If you stop and think about the person you’ve become, chances are you’ll find a long list of people who helped shape that journey. Parents who taught responsibility. Grandparents who shared wisdom. Teachers, coaches, pastors, and friends who believed in you before you knew how to believe in yourself. They encouraged you when life became difficult. When you weren’t sure what decision to make next, there was usually someone you could call for help or advice.

None of us become successful adults on our own. We become successful because someone saw potential in us and invested their time, love, guidance, accountability, and support. That is God’s design. Family is more than the people who raise us. It is the support system that walks beside us through life, helping us navigate challenges, overcome failures, and become the adults we were created to be. But what if you didn’t have that kind of support?

Show-Me witnessed too many young people leave “home” with talent, intelligence, and potential, only to struggle when they were on their own. Lacking the support system many of us take for granted, small setbacks often spiraled into major obstacles, pulling them back into the very cycles Show-Me had worked so hard to help them escape.

In 2012, Path to Purpose (P2P) was launched to bridge that gap for current and former Show-Me children. The vision was simple: family doesn’t end at eighteen. Young people should never “age out” of their support system. They should “age into” healthy adulthood through it.

Experiencing a Bigger World

For children to best understand their world, they must experience it. Through play, they begin discovering how the world works and imagining how they might fit within it. That process begins early through P2P. Educational field trips and hands-on experiences help children see how what they are learning today connects to jobs they may pursue tomorrow. A farm isn’t just a place where crops grow. It’s a small business that utilizes technology and requires strong math skills, planning, communication, and an understanding of science. Their eyes are opened to how the subjects they are learning in the classroom today are the stepping stones to the careers and lives they dream of tomorrow.

One of the most exciting opportunities comes through Junior Achievement’s BizTown program. Students spend weeks learning personal finance, business concepts, communication, and teamwork before stepping into a simulated community where they put those lessons into practice.

Created for a Purpose

As young people grow older, the focus begins to shift from discovering the world around them to discovering themselves. Each child learns that God uniquely created them for a purpose. Not everyone is gifted in the same way, interested in the same things, or called to do the same job. Judi Crawford, the P2P Coordinator, works with each student individually to help them discover the path that’s right for them.

The new P2P classroom has become an important part of that journey. The larger dedicated space allows young people to learn together while exploring career interests, preparing for ACT and ASVAB testing, building technology skills, and participating in career assessments designed to help them better understand themselves. Hands-on learning opportunities allow them to explore careers and environments they may never have otherwise considered.

As they begin identifying their interests, young people continually dive deeper through job shadows, college visits, part-time employment, military exploration, and other career readiness activities. What begins as curiosity gradually becomes direction.

Freedom Comes Through Responsibility

Many of the most important lessons of adulthood aren’t learned from a textbook; they are taught through experience. Managing a budget. Preparing meals. Learning home and vehicle maintenance. Keeping commitments. Showing up on time for work. Understanding how freedom and responsibility go hand in hand.

P2P gives students opportunities to take on increasing responsibility in a safe and supportive environment. Like any healthy family, responsibility is gradually handed over as trust is earned. Young people are given the freedom to make decisions, learn from mistakes, and take ownership of their future while trusted adults remain close by to provide guidance and support when needed.

That growth often includes part-time employment and driver’s education. As students demonstrate responsibility, they earn greater trust and independence. By their junior year, many begin driving themselves to work, managing their own schedules, saving money, and taking greater ownership of their future. Each success reinforces that they can handle the real challenges and responsibilities that come with adulthood. As Kerenda explained, “Path to Purpose helped me branch out and build the courage to step out into the adult world.”

Crossing the Bridge Together

Graduation isn’t the finish line for P2P. It is the first step across the bridge into adulthood. Some graduates will pursue a four-year degree, while others will attend a technical school, enter the military, or move directly into the workforce. While each path is different, many of the obstacles are the same. As graduates step onto that bridge, P2P continues walking beside them. “My hope is that the relationship we build while they are here continues even after they graduate, so they know they always have a Show-Me family that they can lean on,” stated Judi.

One of the first hurdles is simply figuring out the paperwork required to get started. Financial aid applications, scholarships, admissions paperwork, and housing forms can quickly become overwhelming. Because of the challenges they have already overcome, many graduates qualify for grants, scholarships, and other forms of assistance. The problem is that these opportunities can only be accessed if someone knows where to look and how to navigate the process. Judi works alongside graduates to make those connections, helping many secure financial support that allows them to focus on building a career, a family, and a future rather than beginning adulthood burdened by educational debt.

“I honestly wouldn’t be where I am today without Path to Purpose,” said Josie. “They have assisted me from my associates degree to my master’s degree! Mrs. Judi has always been someone I can call or text if I have questions.”

Tools for the Journey

Just as important as helping graduates identify opportunities is ensuring they have the tools needed to pursue them. All P2P graduates placed at Show-Me leave with a driver’s license, an offer to pay for their first year of auto insurance, and are provided with a reliable starter vehicle. Depending on individual needs, support may also include laptops, work equipment, housing assistance, and other resources that help graduates succeed.

Thanks to the generosity of churches, boosters, and individual supporters, Show-Me has provided 23 vehicles to Path to Purpose graduates since the program began. Those vehicles have helped young adults get to work, attend classes, complete training programs, and build independent lives.

When Life Happens

Even with a plan and the right tools, adulthood still comes with unexpected challenges. Cars break down. Apartment deposits are due. Utility bills arrive. Textbooks cost more than expected. Jobs change. Life happens.

P2P alumni know they still have a Show-Me family they can call when they need help. Whether it’s assistance with housing, transportation, emergency expenses, or simply advice from someone who cares, they don’t have to face those obstacles alone. Alumni also have access to donated furniture, household items, clothing, and other practical resources that help them furnish a first apartment, stretch a tight budget, and keep moving forward.

“Nothing prepares you for the moment when you look at your bank account with only $3 in it, and you realize you have a lot of bills left to pay,” Dante recalled. Extra help came especially handy when his Precision Machining Technology program required $3,500 worth of tools, and again when his car broke down just one week before he was scheduled to start a new job.

A Family for Life

At its heart, P2P is not about vehicles, classrooms, scholarships, or career plans. It is about family. The same kind of family support that helped shape many of us into successful adults is what Show-Me seeks to provide for every child who comes through its doors—not for a few years, not until graduation, but for life.

By helping young people build their lives on a firm foundation, P2P helps break destructive patterns and replace them with hope, stability, and opportunity. The result is adults who go on to build strong families, strengthen their churches and communities, and invest in the next generation—just as others invested in them.