A Calling, The Beginning of CHASE
In September of 2018. I had made the decision that I was going to step away from coaching all together. Due to a job change in early 2018, I had already made the decision to step down from coaching High School Varsity Football but was hoping that I would still be able continue coaching my Varsity Baseball team at Lanier Christian Academy. As the year moved on, it was becoming clearer that God was calling me away from ALL coaching.
Coaching has been a part of my life since I was 18 years old. It’s has always been my passion. To know that this was not to be a part of my life going forward was going to be a huge adjustment for me. I made the final decision of not coaching any longer in late September. At that time is when I had also made the decision to explore the sport of triathlons. As October through December played through my life, I could feel that God was preparing me for something. I just had no idea, what.
During the months of January and February, I was met with a barrage of various sermons and conversations that all seemed to deal with either non-profits, ministries or a myriad of children’s causes or issues. Within these discussions I began to feel a pressing in my spirit to explore and gather more information on non-profits, specific children’s charities and ministries. The idea of a foundation began to take shape.
At first, I was thinking I was being called to start a specific ministry but the further I got into examining everything and specifically what I felt God was calling me to do, the more I knew a specific ministry was not the answer. Then the framework for the foundation started to take shape. Could I find organizations already in place and doing great things? Yes.
The second part of the initial framework came as I looked closer at the types of charities I would want to partner with. Now it seems like a no-brainer, but at the time I was honestly just praying for direction. Over the past 4 years I have taken part in The Great Cycle Challenge which supports the Children’s Cancer Fund. Next, in February, I signed on with International Sports Federation to go on mission with them to Portugal to help run a football camp and share the gospel.
It was these two things which I signed up for in February, that started me to look primarily at Children’s ministries. I knew at that point I was being called to serve and support those organizations which focused on children. The CHASE name was born late one night as I was still in the office desperately trying to come up with a name. I had wrote on a notepad a host of different things: education, Scottish Rite, Egleston, Eagle Ranch, Teach my People, sports, Little Light of Mine, specialty camps and so on.
I first wrote out Education, Sports, Healthcare and Media. At some point I changed media to arts. ASHE? No, Arthur Ashe Foundation is already out there (and doing amazing work). SHEA? No. Nothing sounded good. For whatever reason I wrote Children above Healthcare, Arts, Sports and Education and I saw it – CHASE. I had the name.
The following couple of weeks was a whirlwind of activity, as all my spare time I put into working on CHASE. I did a couple of videos, created a Facebook page, had a friend volunteer to do the website. Everything was rolling. I was doing great. I really had this thing moving. I would have CHASE off and running in no time. That was March. It’s now October. Why are we just now moving forward?
Great question! We are now operating according to God’s timing and not mine. I had gotten so caught up in just doing things that I had forgotten who’s ministry/foundation this belonged to. I am being called to help steward this, I don’t own it. God slowed everything down so that my focus would be on what His vision, His plan was for CHASE and not on what I think it should be.
So yes, it’s now October, and things are progressing. You reading this now means that the web site is active and we are beginning to build the CHASE community. As we move forward with CHASE, the goal will be to have one new blog post per week so I hope you will subscribe to the blog to stay up to date with the progress.
I have been called to start this foundation to help ministries and organizations across the US and around the globe, as they work to enrich the lives of the children and families they serve. Together, we can help children chase and fulfill their dreams. Please contact me, if you would like to be a part of this goal.
Scott Dorsey, Founder