Today's Blog Post
I hope that this message finds you well. Marc and I thought that you might like an update on how Keene is doing.
Keene is halfway through his sophomore year at Michigan State University, he is double majoring in finance and accounting, and is thriving.
Keene pledged a fraternity in his freshman year. Initially Marc and I were not pleased with that decision. We feared that joining a fraternity might help facilitate unwanted behavior (partying, etc.) and that Keene would be easily swayed to stray down an unproductive path. We told Keene that we will provide for tuition, housing, and food costs, but that we would not contribute towards his fraternity dues and related costs. Keene has been able to cover his fraternity dues both last year and this year, by working a summer job at our neighborhood grocery store, and it's turned out that the fraternity brothers have been a good influence on Keene. They have provided structure and motivation for his forward progress in college.
Keene has developed a drive to do well academically, and he's developed a desire for self improvement. He has given himself a goal of reading one extracurricular book a month (a goal that he is so far exceeding!), he landed an internship, for the summer before his senior year, at an accounting firm in downtown Denver, and last fall semester he made the Dean's academic list. Keene holds a part time job at the university library, and between that job and his summer job in Denver, he's been able to cover both his fraternity costs and his spending money for school.
Today we had an hour long phone conversation with Keene that blew us away. Keene asked Marc to teach him how to invest his savings. This is the kid who historically spends his money down to the very last cent on junk food and video games. He also told us that he's helping a friend who was in a low place. His friend was about to flunk out of college, and he had been drinking too much. This friend came to Keene for help. Keene formed an accountability bond with the friend, they are meeting once a week to talk and help each other. Keene told us that he thinks he's received more therapy than any other kid he knows (ha ha probably not true but we're not going to tell him that!), and he feels that he can help this kid. We are proud that Keene recognizes how therapy, talking and working out issues, has improved his life.
Mark, this is your influence, and we think that Keene's time at RedCliff is in play here as well.
On the home front, it looks like Keene will be here with us in Denver for at least the next two summers. He spends his Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks in Denver as well. He eats meals with us, engages us in conversations, expresses gratitude for our home (he says that the frat house is disgusting!), and, my favorite thing, says that the thing he misses most about being at home is my cooking. If you had asked us five years ago if this turnaround would be possible, I don't know that I would have said yes. We are forever indebted to the work that you put in, and the influence that you had on Boone at a pivotal time. Thank you Mark.
Conversely, Keene is still Keene. He got his driver's license but isn't comfortable driving. In Denver, Keene will go out with friends at night, and text his little sister at 2am to pick him up. When Keene is at home, the bathroom sink looks like a crime scene. He's a tornado, he's messy, loud, and funny. In other words, he's a normal young adult, and we couldn't love him more. We know that we are riding high presently, and we may experience some lows, but we know that we now have the ability to ride them out together.
A million thanks again, Mark. We hope that you and yours are well.
Katie and Marc
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✳ Hassle free parking
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