Hope looks like a child leaving school with a backpack of food, a parent relieved to feed their family, and a teacher knowing her students are supported. With more than 18,000 students in DeSoto County coming from low-income families, the need is great - and Title I funds don’t cover basic necessities like food, clothing, or healthcare. Hear more about the needs in DeSoto County specifically within Title 1 Schools from Executive Director, Jenna Kern. Learn more about where the Dream Center steps in, filling the gaps through backpacks, closets, education, and healthcare. Together, we’re restoring hope and helping families dream again.

For Tiffany and Steven Pickel, serving with their daughters started with stocking shelves - but it’s become so much more. Whether packing toys and snacks for Adopt-a-Block or ensuring trailers are ready for outreach, the Pickels are proof that faithful behind-the-scenes service creates lasting impact. Their story shows how families can grow together while serving others, and how small, humble acts of love make a big difference.

When children are hungry, lack clothing, or face instability at home, learning becomes almost impossible. The Dream Center partners with Title I schools to meet urgent needs through programs like the DREAM Backpack and DREAM Closet, while also investing in students’ long-term growth through education and leadership support. Principals, parents, and students are seeing the difference: dignity is restored, classrooms thrive, and families find stability. By meeting needs today, we’re preparing a stronger generation for tomorrow.

More than 11,000 of our neighbors in DeSoto County are uninsured - hardworking parents and caregivers left without access to basic preventive care. At Trinity Health Center, we believe dignity and wellness should not be luxuries. By offering screenings, education, and compassionate care, we’re helping patients like Richard discover health challenges early and take steps toward long-term wellness. Together, we can break the cycle of untreated illness and bring healing and hope to families in our community.

Take just a minute to watch how lives are being touched through the Dream Center. From food to clothing, education to healthcare, hope is being restored in tangible ways every day. Press play and see how your support is making an impact right here in DeSoto County.

This quarter, we invite you to join us in prayer for students, families, and neighbors across DeSoto County. Pray for new students in our education program, for families facing food insecurity, for patients at Trinity Health Center, and for new volunteers and partners to join this work. We also celebrate growth in our education program and the Hernando Adopt-a-Block, where trust and relationships are bearing fruit. Thank you for standing with us in prayer, partnership, and service.

When Kelli Williams first came to Trinity Health Center, she was uninsured and searching for compassionate care. Through a trusted relationship with her provider, she not only found support for her physical and mental health, but also discovered a breast cancer diagnosis—caught early through Trinity’s preventative screenings. Today, Kelli’s story is a powerful reminder of how Trinity provides hope and healing to the working uninsured in our community.

Sarah is a student at a local Title 1 school and her mom, Kelley, works in the cafeteria at a another local school as well. Sarah was first connected with the Dream Center through the Elementary Education Program last year. Her dad is really ill and so their family depends on one income. Kelley explained that finances have been tight: “I’ve been involved in a lot of the things that Dream Center does- like Thanksgiving Meal Giveaway, the Christmas program, DREAM Backpack and the Dream Center has been a huge support for our family!”

Executive Director, Jenna Kern, shares some of the heart and strategy behind how the DeSoto County Dream Center comes alongside families in our community, modeling after Jesus. Leading with presence- Dream Center staff take the time to truly listen to people’s stories and building relationships rooted in trust. The Dream Center meets immediate needs first - not just to provide relief, but to restore dignity and stability.

At just 12 years old, Landon, a rising 7th grader at Lewisburg Middle School and a proud percussionist in the school band, is already making waves in his community through consistent, heartfelt service. Landon began volunteering nearly two years ago, inspired by his first experience at an Adopt-A-Block gathering.

When teachers thrive, students thrive. The Dream Center exists to show the love of Christ to students and families of Title 1 schools in DeSoto County, and often some of the most forgotten students in our district are those spending time in the Juvenile Detention Center and other schools supporting students facing barriers to success. Read more about how the Dream Center supports students by caring for teachers.

We believe in the power of prayer at the DeSoto County Dream Center! Will you partner with us in praying on behalf of our community? Add these prayer requests to your regular prayer time as you consider the Dream Center and our community.

“We can have confidence that every act of kindness, every meal provided and every moment of mentorship is planting seeds that will bear fruit in God’s perfect timing.” Read more from Jenna Kern, the DeSoto County Dream Center Executive Director as she addresses the many people who make this mission possible through your partnership!

Read about ways that the DeSoto Dream Center partnered with Horn Lake Intermediate School to support a family facing food insecurity. Through the DREAM Backpack program DCDC was able to provide food, emergency housing, and help promote stability during a difficult time.

So much thought and dreaming, intentionality and heart went into the planning around the relationships that are cultivated in this building, and the safe spaces that the team desires to create for the purpose of helping individuals and families dream again. The end result of all of this prayer, research, intentionality and construction was a classroom layout and large gathering space designed with each of the students enrolled in our Elementary Education and Leadership programming. 

We are honored to spotlight Khalil Wright, the way that he repeatedly shows up for students in the Leadership program and his commitment to relationships. It is because of Khalil’s (and so many other faithful volunteers) consistently encouraging presence and the way he cares for students, that the DeSoto County Dream Center is able to invest in students and families the way we do.

We believe in the power of prayer at the DeSoto County Dream Center! Will you join with us on behalf of our community and our organization to petition the Father for these prayer requests?