My name is Kimberly Reid, proud and eternally grateful Founder and Executive Director of The M.A.R.C.C. Academy, Inc.

Born and predominantly raised in Berlin, Germany, I graduated high school with a desire in my heart to travel the world as a flight attendant, only to quickly learn that, at 17 years of age, I was too young. With one year to bridge before I would be able to pursue my career as a flight attendant, my sister became aware of a teaching position at a local Child Development Center and encouraged me to apply. With no prior experience of working with children or even being around children in my personal life, I was apprehensive and truthfully only mildly interested at best, yet thought to myself, “It’s only for a year…you can do this.”

Little did I know, this “temp job” would reveal the calling and purpose placed on my life: to enrich the lives of children and families by meeting and embracing them exactly where they are, learning where they’d like to be, and supporting them on their unique and most vital journey.

For 33 years (and counting), I have worked with children--from birth through age 18--and their families in a multitude of settings and capacities, ranging from daycare centers and schools in Europe to intensive home visiting and youth programs here in Florida.

During the past 8 years, I’ve had the privilege of spending time and building meaningful, professional relationships with vital yet frequently stigmatized members of our community: teenagers. I can genuinely say that each moment spent with this incredible generation has been both enriching and enlightening, yet one realization caused a heaviness in my heart that I refused to complacently retain: This uniquely vulnerable segment of our population is not only underestimated but underserved, frequently left to navigate complex transitions and unfamiliar processes with limited resources and personalized support. Commonly viewed as “old enough to know better”, yet “not old enough to be taken seriously”, teens inadvertently define what could be deemed a “gap generation”.

The word “gap”, by definition, includes the terms break, breach, defect, disparity, pause, unfilled space, and discontinuity…none of which are acceptable in referencing teens or any other age group for that matter. Teens not only require but deserve intentional investment…the kind that replaces a gap with a “M.A.R.C.C.”.

While not in an airplane, I still had the incredible experience of being a “flight attendant” for 31 years and am overjoyed to have transitioned into the pilot’s seat of this jet called The M.A.R.C.C. Academy, Inc. There are plenty of seats available and more destinations ahead…now boarding…it’s time to soar!