Congratulations to the 2020 Support Network Leader of the Year, Cheryl Kliewer of Hearthstone Educators. Cheryl retired at the end of the 2019-2020 school year from her leadership role at Hearthstone after serving for 28 years!
Cheryl was surprised with her award during a small outdoor gathering of Hearthstone families in June 2020.
Each year CHEA honors one leader from a Support Network Group who has made an indelible impact on the lives of the families served. Leaders are nominated by individuals within their group.
Following in the truth that children are a gift from the Lord (Psalm 127:3) and their deep, heartfelt belief that home education was the best way for their family to raise godly children, Bruce and Cheryl Kliewer established their family’s individual private school Hope Academy. They committed to educating their young daughters, Janna and Krista, in a loving, nurturing way that enabled learning from a Christ-centered, parent-directed perspective in all subject areas.
Upon discovering there were other Central Coast families who shared this like-minded vision and calling to private home education, a loosely-structured group of these homeschooling families began to meet. They had the mutual goal to support, encourage, and fellowship with one another in the Lord. Deciding to become a more structured, “official” entity, the group was affectionately named Hearthstone Educators.
For twenty-eight years, the Hearthstone Educators ministry has continued to be the “heartbeat” of the local Christian homeschool community. They have been an incredible source of blessing and support for hundreds of member families seeking to keep Christ at the center of their homes and the focus of all learning.
Bruce and Cheryl privately homeschooled their children for seventeen years, graduating daughters Janna (2005) and Krista (2009). They served as head leadership for Hearthstone during the years they educated and discipled their own children. It was with hearts of Christ-filled love and servitude that they would continue in those roles to mentor and minister to homeschooling families for another eleven years.
As a loving, faithful wife and mother, and Hearthstone’s Support Group Leader, Cheryl has been the very definition of the “Titus 2 woman.” She has modeled what it means to be a helpmate to one’s husband, nurture, and point one’s children towards the Lord, and care for one’s home. As a mentor and friend, she has taught fellow moms what it means to be confident in the Lord, a good listener, steadfast in the faith, and prayerful in seeking the Lord.
We praise God for the Kliewer family and their many years of loving service ministry. As they go forward into this new season of their lives, they leave a God-directed, Christ-centered, grace-filled legacy for generations to come.
(This article was provided courtesy of Hearthstone Educators and has been edited for our purposes here.)
Several Hearthstone families had a few words to add about the impact that Cheryl (and her husband) had on them during their many years of service to homeschooling families in the Santa Maria and Orcutt areas.
Armida Ramirez shared, “There have been many times when I needed counsel, and Cheryl and Bruce have been prayer warriors and mentors countless times to me and all families of Hearthstone. I cannot put into words the encouragement they have provided my family. Without Hearthstone, we would have given up what God called us to do.”
Jan Halford continued, “I had the privilege and great honor to serve alongside Cheryl for many years in leadership for Hearthstone. I am not sure where to begin to share how the Kliewers impacted my homeschooling journey.”
“I would not and could not have successfully completed the call of the Lord to provide an independent Christian home education for my two daughters without the Kliewers. Life became a battleground around year five of homeschooling and the war raged for the next twelve years, past the graduation of child number two. Cheryl was much more than the ‘support group’ leader. She is a gift from the Lord, a cherished gift, a gift in a beautifully sparkly polka-dot wrapped box with a big shiny bow on top. She always welcomed me with a hug, a compassionate empathetic patient listen, a reminder {without judgement} to recall not only the burden God placed on my heart but also His perfect faithfulness and strength…Cheryl reflects the meekness and boldness of our Savior Christ Jesus beautifully.”