Lara's Story..."An Education In Love"

What Sherrie Gahn saw broke her heart. At Whitney Elementary School in Las Vegas, 85% of the students are homeless.  What really broke her heart was seeing some of them eating ketchup packets at lunch. At that point, I would say "How horrible! How can that happen? I hope someone does something about that." But not Sherrie.  She committed herself to doing something for these students. Not only the students, but their families. She told the parents that she'd give them whatever they need.   Food, clothes...She'd even pay their rent and utilities. All she asked in return was to keep their children at this school.  She enlisted the help of volunteers and members of the community. She partnered with nonprofit organizations. All moving toward the goal of giving these kids and their families a better life.

 Flash forward a little while later. Whitney Elementary School is now providing disadvantaged kids with items that range from free clothes to free haircuts, and operates a  food bank that distributes food to students for the weekends. The school has even provides financial assistance to families with overdue bills.  Because of this, one mom said that it made it possible for her family to have Christmas. Get this...since the program started, students have doubled their scores in reading proficiency. Sherry believes that this increase is not only a result of students' needs being met, but also because the school's support gives them hope for the future.

"They have food in their bellies that they would not have had, they have clothes on their back they wouldn't have had and for the first time someone believes in them. It's beyond food and clothing," she said.

But who exactly is Sherrie?  Why is she doing all this?

Sherrie happens to be the new principal of Whitney Elementary School. And she has a passion for helping kids succeed.

She has so much passion that she promised them that if they graduate from high school and cannot afford college she will help pay their tuition. She believes that the kids are worth the big promise. She defines success as "the look in their face that I made their life better. That's my success rate when they hug me and thank me for the food, the clothes. Then I know it's a good day."