This article is from the Fulcrum Foundation 2023 Community Report.
When their oldest son, Bentley, was entering kindergarten, Brenna and Ben Sebens toured Assumption Catholic School in Bellingham. “We were totally blown away,” Brenna recalled. “We felt so accepted and at home.”
Unfortunately, the Sebens moved and the commute and tuition costs were too much. Even so, Brenna kept thinking about Assumption, calling the school as Bentley entered first and second grade to ask about open seats.
Everything changed in 2020. The Sebens moved back to Bellingham and Brenna saw an opportunity. “I felt like God said, ‘Pick up the phone and call Assumption right now.’ I happened to have a free moment and I called. They said they had one spot open.”
“I met Ben in the driveway as he was coming home from his shift,” Brenna recalled. “I told him, ‘Assumption. We’re doing Assumption.’ And the look on his face—oh my gosh. There was so much chaos during that time of our lives, but this was a wonderful bright spot in the middle of it all.”
Both Bentley and his younger brother, Bryce, who enrolled in Assumption’s preschool, flourished in their new school. “It had been a dream for a while and God finally put all the stars in a line and we were able to do it. Assumption became this huge joy for us.”
But it wasn’t always easy. “We had so many rough financial hits during that time,” Brenna said. “And after the boys started and we saw them flourish and start to make life-long friends, we panicked that we wouldn’t be able to keep them in Assumption.”
The Sebens applied for and received Fulcrum Foundation Tuition Assistance Grants, allowing both boys to remain at Assumption.
“We could not have kept our boys in Assumption without Fulcrum,” said Brenna. “By being able to provide our children a Catholic education, we literally will see an impact on our family for generations to come. The children who have been wrapped in the fibers of Catholic education—the loving environment, the challenging education, and the support that they receive—they will have a better start, a better foundation.”