Today we’d like to introduce you to Tami White.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Tami. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My daughter Haley was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when she was in 3rd grade. It is a very difficult and complex disease to manage, especially when it comes to sports. When she wanted to try cheerleading, the only way I could allow it was to become an assistant coach, so I could always be right there if something were to happen. I coached her cheer team for three years. When my daughter was in 8th grade, she wanted to continue to cheer but she aged out of her current cheer program. The majority of her cheer team also wanted to continue, so we decided to start our own cheer program. We also decided that we would want to have a faith-based program that would bring many young athletes the chance to grow both in their faith and their sport. We met with the directors of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and became the first sports ministry for cheer in California.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has not been a smooth road at all. It has taken a boatload of faith to make it to this point. We started out trying to rent space in Carlsbad, but we were unable to get permits from the city. We were one week away from starting our new season and we had no place to go – I even had $10,000 worth of cheer mats in the back of truck just needing an address to be delivered to. We drove by every warehouse in Carlsbad and finally found a sublease in the back of an existing business. Mats were delivered and we began our journey! We made it through one season and then the new building owner made us move out. We were taken in by Evenlife Church and they have been our partners in ministry ever since.
Please tell us about FCA Cheer.
Coaching cheer is an amazing experience. Watching these kids learning new skills and becoming more confident and basically growing up is very rewarding. However, the most rewarding thing I do is spread the love of Christ with these kids and their families. My dream has been to provide a safe place for them to get to be who they are, without any judgment and surrounded by people who are always on their side. The one place in the whole world where they know for a fact that they are loved. We have some great athletes and we have some kids whose heart for the Lord and for each other outshines their abilities. Everyone fits in. I can’t imagine how different my life would have been if I was I was able to be involved in a program like this.
Often it feels as if the media, by and large, is only focused on the obstacles faced by women, but we feel it’s important to also look for the opportunities. In your view, are there opportunities that you see that women are particularly well positioned for?
I think women are relatively lucky when it comes to opportunities. I am fortunate enough to have a husband that can support me and my family and although I’ve never really had to work, I have always worked anyway! I love to build stuff, from finish carpentry to building businesses from the ground up, I think women are well positioned to do anything they want. I grew up very poor, I managed to pull myself out of a cycle of poverty and put myself through college. It wasn’t easy, but with a little determination and a whole lot of Jesus, I believe we can do anything we set our mind to!
Contact Info:
- Address: 5601 Palmer Way
Carlsbad, CA 92010 - Website: fcacheersd.com
- Phone: 760-445-7048
- Email: tami@fcacheersd.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fcacheersd/
Image Credit:
Fcacheer FCA
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