Пастор Кэрри Шампань удостоена награды Carolina Champion за вклад в образование и служение общине

Carolina Champion: Carrie Champagne inspires through faith, education and service FLORENCE COUNTY, S.C. (WPDE) — From education and school administration to ministry and community outreach, Pastor Carrie Simmons Champagne has dedicated her life to helping others. Each month, ABC 15 honors someone in the community with the Carolina Champion Award, a recognition given to leaders who inspire extraordinary action. Champagne is this month’s Carolina Champion. Her journey began in Blenheim, where she was raised by her grandmother, a woman Champagne credits with helping shape who she would become. “My grandmother, who raised me, did not have a high school diploma. She did not read well or write well. However, she knew the Bible from Genesis to Revelation,” Champagne said. Champagne said her grandmother taught her lessons that went far beyond the classroom. She watched her work hard, pray and give to others, even when she did not have much herself. “She would amaze me, like a garden on both sides of our house, big gardens, and most of what we grew went to other people,” Champagne said. That example became a foundation for Champagne, and education became a passion. Champagne earned degrees in mathematics, education and educational leadership, eventually earning her doctorate last year. She said her greatest reward has always been watching a child discover what is possible. “I love watching others get excited about being alive and being well and doing what they do, and doing it well, doing it with a spirit of excellence,” Champagne said. READ NEXT: Pee Dee Head Start programs help prepare children, support families Today, that mission continues at Father’s House Outreach Ministries in Florence. The church provides free Saturday tutoring, giving students tools to succeed. “Failure is not an option. And there’s no reason to fail when you’ve got free assistance,” Champagne said. Champagne is also building on that mission with a new sanctuary under construction on East Pine Street and plans for a K through 3 educational facility. She said the school will focus on small group learning, one on one mentorship and filling in educational gaps. “The thing that excites me most is that we’re going to have a K 3 teaching facility,” Champagne said. The planned school is not the only way Champagne is working to bring people together. She also partners with other churches and nonprofits and organizes community events. One of those efforts is a summer soul winning song festival. “We do a summer soul winning song festival, and we bring together what started out with about five or six churches....It has grown tremendously,” Champagne said. Champagne also believes some of life’s most important lessons are not found in a textbook. Her own journey has not always been easy. She raised her daughter as a single mother and worked hard to build a meaningful life and career. Of all the roles she has held along the way, she treasures being a wife and now a grandmother. “I understand my purpose after 57 years. I finally know why I’m here. It’s exciting,” Champagne said. For Champagne, everything she does traces back to the values she learned from her grandmother. “Sharing is caring, and love is what love does,” Champagne said. Those lessons have become a lifelong mission for Champagne, one centered on education, hard work, faith and service. Families who know a child who could benefit from free tutoring can reach out to Father’s House Outreach Ministries. Champagne said there is not a firm opening date for the new K through 3 school, but the curriculum is already being developed and there is already a waiting list. Her ultimate goal is to give children the kind of foundation her grandmother gave her, one built on education, hard work, faith and service.