A little over 15 years ago, Beth Logan was married to a healthy, well-respected physician, and they were the parents of four children. Beth Logan volunteered many hours in her community, and the family’s free time was spent helping others in the community as well.

When Logan’s fourth child was still a toddler, her husband became disabled. He was no longer able to work and did not have disability insurance. Due to the unexpected loss of family income and additional health care costs, Logan entered the workplace. Faced with bills for day care, food, and shelter, she decided that she would have to go back to school if she was to have any hope of increasing her earning capacity. She moved her family to a small apartment in a college community. This coincided with the need for her husband to enter a nursing home. Logan went on to graduate with honors in a two-year degree program while working part time.

Through her example and determination, Logan has instilled in her children the value of a college education, a career to support oneself and one’s family, and the importance of caring for family members as well as for others in the community.

Her two eldest children have graduated from college and are now repaying school loans. They’ve maintained their volunteering in the community. The oldest, a nurse, spends Christmas at a hospital with children who have no family visitors. The second daughter, although married and working full time, devotes a great deal of time helping her community and church.

The third child is a premed major who works nearly full time and has completed two years of college in one-and-a-half years. She also volunteers more than 50 hours each semester in various community work, such as Habitat for Humanity.

The youngest, a senior in high school, works every afternoon in an office and Saturday evenings in a restaurant, and on Sundays she works at a nursing home. On Sunday mornings, she takes breakfast to a lonely elderly neighbor who looks forward to a hot meal and companionship.

According to Logan, each of her children has "adopted" an elderly person in the neighborhood or nursing home. "The children have always known that no matter how tough life was, there were always people less fortunate than we were—people without family," Logan said. "This unexpected experience of basically coping without a dad or husband has strengthened our family life as nothing else could. My children have learned what is important in life."

Logan continues, "The Logan children always took care of each other—and still do. They have always worked after school and on weekends to pay their own way through college, as they knew it was all I could do to pay for the basic needs of the family. At the checkout line in the grocery store, the kids never asked for gum or candy—they saw our monthly bills and knew what we could afford. They never complained at Christmas when there was little money left for gifts."

The Elsa Barton Scholarship Fund has helped the family tremendously, said Logan. "It’s meant that the youngest can occasionally attend a school dance on a Saturday night and have a little free time to enjoy herself as a senior in high school while still earning money for college expenses."

APA members who would like to help other families in difficult circumstances complete their educational goals are asked to click here.