Give Kids in Need the Gift of Education

The Odie Scholarship Fund

A fundraising campaign for The Front Door Agency, Inc.

Give Children in Greater Nashua a Brighter Future

When Nicole first came to our Transitional Housing Program, she was a young mother leaving a domestic violence situation. Furthering her education wasn't a top priority at the time. "I just wanted to have the basics and keep myself and my daughter safe," she says. Today, Nicole acknowledges that earning her bachelor's degree while in our program was a major turning point in her life. "That degree is what truly transformed my life," she says. Nicole wants the same advantage for her daughter Jay-Linn, now 15.

The Odie Scholarship Fund is about Jay-Linn's future and about many more disadvantaged children just like her whose mothers have been served by our Transitional Housing Program.  

The Impact of Your Scholarship Gift 

The Odie Scholarship Fund will directly serve the educational needs of children in our Transitional Housing Program. Funds will be designated for many different types of educational opportunities. It may be a leadership training program for a middle school student; a summer enrichment program for a high school student or a much-needed financial boost for a motivated student headed to college. 

Who is Odie and Why Did He Start a Scholarship?

In 1986, Robert "Odie" Odierna was a young pastor, just starting his ministry at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Nashua. When he realized that church resources were being overwhelmed by people in need in the community, he created a separate non-denominational organization known today as the Front Door Agency. The Agency's mission is to give people the tools and support they need to become self-sufficient. 

For the past 30 years, Odie has been a driving force behind many of our programs -- including the Transitional Housing Program for single mothers which seeks to empower women and break the cycle of poverty through education.

As he prepares to retire, Odie still sees a pressing need for assistance for children who have been touched by the program. "The Agency gives young families a "hand up" when they are in crisis -- but once that crisis has passed, we know the children are still at risk," says Pastor Odie. The Scholarship Fund is an investment in the future of those children and in our community at large." 







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