Funding a Movement: How HERO Is Making Christian Education Possible—One Church, One Child at a Time
- Pauline Rivera
- Aug 25
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 25
When Dalena Wallace first envisioned a way to support Kansas’s growing network of Christian microschools, she didn’t start with a strategy—she started with a burden. A burden for founders who were launching schools out of obedience to God, but struggling to keep them open. A burden for families who longed to pull their children out of spiritually hostile environments, but simply couldn’t afford to. And a burden for churches that had yet to realize the mission field was right under their nose: Monday through Friday, inside the school system.
Today, that vision has become HERO—the Heartland Education Reformation Organization—a fast-growing initiative mobilizing churches to financially and relationally support Christian education. In just over a year, HERO has distributed over $100,000 in scholarships, activated 25 churches, and sparked a movement that’s reshaping education in Kansas and beyond.
The Problem: Christian Education Is Often Out of Reach
While Christian parents are growing increasingly dissatisfied with public school environments—whether due to academic decline, cultural confusion, or lack of spiritual alignment—many simply can’t afford alternatives. As Emmi noted in the interview, “There are scholarships for Christian colleges, but barely anything for K–12 Christian education.”
Dalena adds that while some might point to homeschooling as a no-cost solution, the burden often falls unfairly and heavily on mothers. “We act like the Deuteronomy 6 command was written to homeschooling moms,” she said. “But God was speaking to the entire body of believers. The church.”
The Opportunity: Church-Activated Education Reform
HERO’s mission is simple but bold: activate the church to financially support Christian education through scholarships, school partnerships, and strategic giving. And it’s working.
$14,900 awarded to 11 students during the 2025 HERO Film Premiere
$56,728 distributed through HERO Matching Scholarships (churches matched HERO’s support)
$30,550 in HERO Financial Hardship Scholarships for 51 students
25 churches have committed to supporting Christian education—including 5 official HERO church partners
One church, after participating in the matching campaign, was so moved they launched their own ongoing scholarship fund for families in need.
The Stories: Real People, Real Impact
Behind the statistics are stories—some heartbreaking, all hopeful.
A grandmother raising her grandchild after the child’s mother passed away from cancer
A single mother rebuilding her life after incarceration
A father navigating trauma after the murder of his wife
Dozens of students receiving handwritten cards, encouragement, and a fresh start thanks to HERO scholarships
These are the lives being changed by churches that say yes to educational missions in their own backyard.
The Vision: Sustainability Through Church Budgets
Dalena’s long-term vision isn’t to rely solely on donors or grant foundations. She’s calling on every local church to consider adding K–12 Christian education to their missions budget—just like they would with a foreign mission trip.
“Education is a missions field,” she says. “We don’t need to get on a plane. We need to get involved.”
For churches, that could look like:
Donating monthly or annually to a HERO partner school
Launching a church-sponsored scholarship fund
Offering classroom space to a local microschool
Encouraging families in the congregation to choose and support Christian education
Supporting release time programs like Bible2School (which allow public school kids to receive off-campus Bible instruction during school hours)
The Invitation: Everyone Can Play a Part
Whether you're a pastor, parent, business owner, or grandparent, HERO believes you have a role to play. Financially, spiritually, relationally—this is a call to invest in the next generation through schools rooted in Christ.
🎓 Learn more or give today at: https://www.heartlandhero.org/donate
Looking Ahead
HERO’s next season includes continued church partnerships, school support, and expanding the scholarship base. Emmi and Dalena also touched on upcoming events for HERO members, more marketing support for schools, and creative ways to capture and share testimonies of impact.
Because at the end of the day, this movement is about more than policy or programs—it’s about people. Children. Families. Churches. And a God who calls His people to educate, equip, and disciple the next generation.
This blog post was generated from the following episode of the WISE and Otherwise Podcast with Dalena Wallace. Find more at:
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