Fall 2026: Three Students, Three Futures, One Continuing Legacy — The Kimble Way

The Kimble Way Foundation Awards $3,000 in Student Stipends and Begins Building Relationships That Extend Beyond the Check

Three students. Three $1,000 stipends. One continuing legacy.

The Kimble Way Foundation is proud to announce the recipients of our Fall 2026 Student Stipends: Alonzo Chapman, Juanye Mackie, and Matthew Evans.

Each student received a $1,000 stipend, representing a total Fall 2026 investment of $3,000 directly into students and their futures.

But when we look at the photographs of these three young men holding their Kimble Way Foundation checks, we don’t simply see $3,000 awarded.

We see possibility.

We see leadership.

We see young people working toward something greater.

And we see the beginning of relationships that we hope will continue long after these checks have been spent.

Why the Kimble Way Foundation Exists

The Kimble Way Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in memory of Kimble Jacobi Evans, a young union welder whose life, work ethic, personality, and belief in finding your own path continue to shape everything we do.

Kimble believed there was “more than one way to milk a cow.”

It was one of those uniquely Kimble sayings that carried a much bigger message: there is rarely only one way forward.

College can be a way.

Welding can be a way.

An apprenticeship can be a way.

Technical education, certification, entrepreneurship, and other skilled trades can all be ways.

Success should not be defined by one prescribed path.

The Kimble Way Foundation exists to help young people—particularly underserved students and those facing financial or practical barriers—identify their path and have a fair opportunity to pursue it.

Our work includes scholarships and stipends, skilled-trades assistance, tools and PPE support, mentorship, transportation assistance, career development, credential-completion support, and connections to sustainable employment pathways.

The Fall 2026 stipend program represents another step toward putting that mission into action.

Meet Our Fall 2026 Recipients

Alonzo Chapman: Turning Hardship Into Purpose

Alonzo Chapman entered this next chapter of his life with an extraordinary record of academic achievement, entrepreneurship, athletics, leadership, mentorship, and community service.

But behind those accomplishments is a story of perseverance.

In his application to the Kimble Way Foundation, Alonzo shared that losing his mother changed his childhood. He watched his father carry the responsibility of supporting their family and, at only 13 years old, decided that he wanted to help.

He began knocking on neighbors’ doors asking if they needed their yards cut.

That initiative eventually expanded into detailing cars and entrepreneurship. The same determination carried into the classroom, onto the football field, and into his service and mentorship of other young people.

Alonzo’s understanding of leadership particularly resonated with our Foundation:

“Leadership isn’t measured by how many people know your name. It is measured by how many people are better because you were there.”

Those words speak directly to the type of leadership the Kimble Way Foundation hopes to encourage.

Alonzo also explained what financial support for his education represents to him and his family:

“This scholarship wouldn’t just invest in my education. It would invest in a young man who has spent his life turning hardship into purpose.”

The Kimble Way Foundation was honored to present Alonzo Chapman with a $1,000 Fall 2026 stipend.

We aren’t simply celebrating what Alonzo has already accomplished. We are investing in what comes next.

Juanye Mackie: A Recipient Ready to Become a Mentee—and a Leader

Juanye Mackie, a college student at Louisiana State University, approached the Kimble Way Foundation with a belief that closely mirrors our own: education can create opportunity.

In his original application, Juanye shared:

“I am pursuing my education because I believe it is the key to creating opportunities.”

The Kimble Way Foundation awarded Juanye a $1,000 Fall 2026 stipend to support him as he continues pursuing his education.

But one of the most meaningful moments came after the award.

Juanye sent a message to Foundation Founder and President LaTawnya Evans explaining what being selected had meant to him:

“You have no idea how blessed I feel to be a part of this moment and to receive this incredible opportunity.”

Then he shared something even more powerful.

The impact had already traveled beyond him.

“I’ve been able to encourage so many people through this testimony and share how much this opportunity has meant to me.”

That is impact.

One student receives an opportunity, tells someone else what is possible, and another person begins to believe that an opportunity may exist for them too.

Juanye also expressed his desire to remain involved with the Kimble Way Foundation:

“I would absolutely love to be a mentee and/or serve as a leader in any capacity where I can be of service. It would truly be an honor and a privilege.”

And perhaps one of the most meaningful statements in his message was this:

“You have given me, and so many others, another reason to have hope and keep believing in what’s possible.”

Juanye concluded by making it clear that receiving a stipend would not be the end of his relationship with the Foundation:

“This is definitely not the last you’ll hear from me! I look forward to staying connected and continuing to grow with the Kimble Way Foundation family.”

We hope so, too.

Because that is exactly what we want the Kimble Way Foundation to become.

Not simply an organization that awards a student a check and says goodbye.

We want to create a community.

Today’s stipend recipient can become tomorrow’s mentee, graduate, skilled professional, mentor, volunteer, board leader, community advocate—or the person who reaches back and creates an opportunity for someone else.

Matthew Evans: Leadership, Service and an Opportunity to Pay It Forward

Matthew Evans is an incoming junior at Louisiana State University, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Business Management with a concentration in Human Resource Management and a minor in Internal Auditing.

His college experience extends well beyond the classroom.

Matthew described involvement in student leadership, service organizations, and volunteer work within the East Baton Rouge Parish community. His long-term goals include graduate education and a career in human resources and talent acquisition.

In his application, Matthew also explained something many college students and families understand well: tuition is only part of the cost of attending college.

Books, online educational platforms, housing preparation, registration expenses, supplies, and the many miscellaneous costs associated with beginning a semester can quickly become significant.

A $1,000 stipend can therefore represent something very practical: one less financial barrier standing between a student and the ability to concentrate on succeeding.

But Matthew also wrote about what it means emotionally to know that someone believes in your future:

“Knowing that someone has a vested interest in my success empowers me to give my best to all that I do.”

He also expressed his desire to extend that investment to others:

“Just as the Kimble family and the Kimble Way Foundation are investing in students, I hope to leave that same type of impact on the children and families I interact with through my church and the organizations I serve alongside.”

Following his selection, Matthew was invited to remain connected with the Foundation through its developing mentorship efforts.

His answer was immediate:

“Thank you so much for the update, and I am open to receiving mentorship from you all’s mentorship program.”

The Kimble Way Foundation proudly awarded Matthew Evans a $1,000 Fall 2026 stipend.

And his willingness to participate in mentorship represents exactly where we hope the relationship begins—not ends.

More Than a Check: Building the Kimble Way Mentorship Pipeline

The Fall 2026 stipend program has reinforced something important for our Foundation.

Financial assistance matters, but money alone is not enough.

A stipend may purchase textbooks.

It may help pay for educational technology.

It may purchase welding boots, tools, PPE, certification fees, transportation, or other necessities.

But sometimes a student also needs someone to answer the phone.

Someone to review a résumé.

Someone to explain how to navigate a professional environment.

Someone to introduce them to an employer.

Someone to encourage them when completing a credential becomes difficult.

Someone who has already traveled the road ahead.

That is why mentorship is an important part of the Kimble Way Foundation’s vision.

Juanye has already expressed interest in becoming a mentee and serving as a leader.

Matthew has already said yes to mentorship.

These are the relationships we want to cultivate.

Our goal is not merely to ask, “Did we give the student $1,000?”

We want to be able to ask:

Did the student remain enrolled?

Did they complete their program?

Did they earn the credential?

Did they obtain the tools they needed?

Did they secure an apprenticeship, internship, or meaningful employment?

Did mentorship help them navigate an obstacle?

And eventually:

Did someone we once helped return to help someone else?

That is how impact multiplies.

$3,000 Invested. Three Futures Supported. Relationships Just Beginning.

For Fall 2026, the Kimble Way Foundation proudly awarded:

Alonzo Chapman — $1,000

Juanye Mackie — $1,000

Matthew Evans — $1,000

Total Fall 2026 Student Investment: $3,000

Those numbers matter.

As a nonprofit organization, accountability matters to us. We want our donors, community partners, schools, corporations, and supporters to see where their investment can go.

But numbers alone will never tell the complete story.

The real story is Alonzo turning hardship into purpose.

It’s Juanye telling his friends and family about his experience and using his own testimony to encourage others.

It’s Matthew saying yes to mentorship.

It’s three young men holding checks that represent something larger than their dollar amounts:

Someone believes they are worth investing in.

Honoring One Life by Investing in Many

The Kimble Way Foundation began with a mother’s desire to ensure that the life of her only son would continue to make a difference.

But this Foundation cannot—and will not—be only about loss.

It is about legacy.

Kimble worked with his hands.

He became a union welder.

He understood that a successful life did not have to look like everyone else’s.

He believed there was more than one way forward.

Today, every student supported through the Kimble Way Foundation allows that philosophy to continue moving through another life.

A welding student who receives the equipment needed to finish training.

A college student who can purchase books.

A young person who gets to an apprenticeship because transportation is no longer the barrier.

A student who meets a mentor who changes the trajectory of a career.

A recipient who later returns as a mentor.

That is how legacy becomes impact.

And that is The Kimble Way.

Help Us Reach the Next Student

Somewhere there is another student who has not met us yet.

The next young welder may need boots, tools, PPE, or certification fees

.

The next college student may be wondering how to afford books after tuition is paid.

The next apprentice may have the ability and work ethic but lack reliable transportation.

The next young person may simply need someone in their corner who can say:

There is another way. Keep going.

We want the Kimble Way Foundation to be ready when that student finds us.

Every contribution helps us expand scholarships and stipends, skilled-trades assistance, mentorship, transportation support, tools and PPE assistance, career development, credential completion, and pathways toward sustainable employment.

Our Fall 2026 recipients are proof that an investment does not stop with a check.

It can become confidence.

It can become opportunity.

It can become mentorship.

It can become leadership.

It can become hope.

And eventually, it can become another person reaching back to help someone else.

Honor Kimble. Invest in a Future. Change a Life.

Kimble Way Foundation501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization

“More than one way to milk a cow.”

Building Confidence. Creating Opportunity. Leaving a Legacy.

Visit kimblewayfoundation.org to learn more about our mission, become a community partner, support our programs, or make a tax-deductible contribution.