Growing up in a missions-minded church, Denise was surrounded by a deep commitment to global ministry, often welcoming missionaries into her family’s home. That same heart for service continued into adulthood as she and her husband, a pastor at Fox River Christian Church, regularly hosted missionaries both in their church and in their own home.
 
In 2006, Denise traveled to Kenya with Manna Worldwide to explore a missions partnership with Jim and Susie Horne. Moved by the vision to break the cycle of poverty both physically and spiritually through access to quality Christian education, she helped open two preschools in 2007, serving 180 children. Each year a new grade level was added, and by 2015, the first class graduated from high school.
 
Today, more than 900 students are sponsored each year across those two schools and a partner high school, a testament to Denise’s enduring dedication to transforming lives through education and faith.