Doors of Possibilities

“From our very first campus, the decision to paint our apartment doors different colors was never about the aesthetic; it was always about creating a sense of identity, a way for children to recognize ‘home’ and  families to experience the feeling of belonging.”

—Cathe Dykstra
Chief Possibility Officer, President and CEO 

If you drive past one of our campuses you are likely to notice the variety of colors on our participant’s doors. This was not by accident. Many of our participant’s experience homelessness or unstable housing before calling an FSH campus home. This means not only have they experienced instability, but so have their children. Picture this, you are 4 years old and every apartment door is the same color, how does yours stand out? For our little scholars, they know the purple door on the first floor or red door on the third is where they call home, where they read bedtime stories each night and wake each morning.

One of our affiliates in Anderson, Indiana gifted us a beautiful shadow box with tiny doors in a variety of colors that you can find across our 5 campuses (picture below). Above the doors reads: “The Doors of Possibilities.” Our families experience so much growth behind their blue, red, or maybe green door. This is where they can finally take a deep breath, focus on their education, their future, and their family. A safe and healthy place to raise their child(ren) and begin this new chapter of their lives.

Many graduates of Family Scholar House take pride in the color of their door, it symbolizes this pivotal chapter in their lives. We often receive calls from grads asking the exact paint color of their FSH door so they can paint their new home’s door the same color. For many this color is a reminder of how much is possible with support, consistency, and an opportunity to grow. The front door has become a symbol of hope for the future and a reminder of the first safe place they called “home.”