When Caroline Spaulding started as a freshman at Regis Jesuit High School in the fall of 2020, it was the height of COVID. School switched between in-person and online for most of the first semester, which made it hard for her to make friends and find a sense of belonging.   

In 2021, she had surgery to repair two torn labrums, which she injured as a dancer. The recovery was rough, leading to a physical and mental battle Caroline didn't expect would be so hard. But she would soon discover the best things are often born out of heartache.   

She’d always had a desire to do something ministry-related at school. “I remember wishing I could bring something like the youth groups that have made such a difference in my life,” Caroline says. “I thought, ‘Surely there are others like me, but we just don’t have an outlet.’”  

Her mom had been part of FCA as a teenager and said, “Why don’t you check out FCA?” So Caroline, a field hockey player, looked up FCA’s mission and values online. She contacted FCA Arapahoe County staff member Mark Goldsberry out of the blue. He explained to her what she needed to do to start a huddle. Huddles are devotional/Bible study groups that meet at public and private schools across the country, led by volunteer student athletes. Coaches, parents, and other school community members serve as sponsors of the clubs. 

Turning Faith into Action 

That was late summer 2022. Caroline asked her friend Addie to help her, and they found two school sponsors – Head Baseball Coach Matt Darr and School Counselor Jessica DeLehman. Early in the school year, with FCA brochures and a banner, Caroline stood at a table at the clubs and activities fair.  

“I remember thinking to myself, ‘If I can just get five people to sign up, we’ll be good,’” Caroline says. “By the end of it, 85 people had put their names on the list.”  

By late October, the FCA huddle was up and running. Today, about 40 students consistently attend weekly huddles on Mondays during lunch. It didn’t take long for the group to start organizing a team of 15 student leaders who now run everything – from speakers to prayer to service projects.   

Creating Community  

Although her parents have Catholic backgrounds, Caroline grew up with a variety of faith experiences. She attends Mission Hills Church in Littleton and participates in youth programs through K-Life and at Lifegate Church in Denver. Her experiences at Camp Timberline, a Christian camp in Estes Park, also had a great impact on her life.   

Caroline looks back and realizes that through FCA, God created the very community she was longing for. She hopes others find the same.   

“My generation is filled with social media highlight reels that steal time and treasure,” she says. “But everyone struggles in their own way. There were times along the way with starting FCA I thought, ‘God, am I the right person to do this? I don’t feel like I’m cut out for this.’ But I just kept hearing, ‘You’re not alone.’” 

Simple Vision 

Most of the students in FCA at Regis Jesuit High School, including Caroline, are juniors. They have another year to get younger students involved and thriving so they can carry it on. However, the vision is simple.  

“We just want to bring as many people to God as possible,” Caroline says. “The thing that inspired me from the beginning was the idea of having faith as small as a mustard seed. It started with an FCA banner at a table at the beginning of the year. But look what God has done. This was not my idea. This is God’s thing.”