If education is the door to the future, a high school diploma or passing the General Educational Development test is the key to unlocking it.

Obtaining that key can be tricky, challenging or downright daunting.

“Maybe I’m just hard on myself," Heidi Barton, Post Falls, 42, said Wednesday. "I always thought I couldn’t do it. I’m horrible at math."

Barton dropped out of high school in 10th grade and moved from Idaho to Hawaii. She didn't prioritize education as life moved along and she started a family.

Not having a high school diploma or a GED equivalent has been difficult at times, but Barton made it work.

Although she has been out of school for more than two decades, working as a nursing assistant reignited a spark within her and motivated her to pursue the GED path to someday work as a registered nurse.

“I finally moved from Hawaii back home here a couple years ago. I got the job at Guardian Angel Homes in Post Falls as a caregiver and just fell in love with what I'm doing," Barton said. "I love helping people, I love memory care. It’s a challenge but it’s so rewarding.”

She has found her calling and feels supported and encouraged by her colleagues and supervisors.

“The administrators always tell me, ‘Heidi, go to school, get your nursing degree because you’d be fabulous at it,'" she said. "I get told that so much. I finally was like, ‘OK, let’s do it. Get the GED, get the CNA, go for my RN.'"

Barton is studying for her GED tests at the Adult Education Center on the second floor of the Molstead Library on the North Idaho College campus. This free program helps those 16 and older earn GED diplomas, prepare for college, or build skills to qualify for better job opportunities.

"I have a goal now and I want to do something great," Barton said.

As these students work toward laying this educational foundation, small expenses add up: coffee for study time, gas to drive to campus, and granola bars to keep their brains fueled as they absorb information.

“It’s always been tough, but it’s extremely tough now," said Christine Everts, the math and science instructor at the Adult Education Center. "There’s bills and housing and transportation. The list goes on and on."

A partnership with Charity Reimagined has removed a barrier for GED students facing financial hardship, giving them one less worry as they work toward brighter futures. The four final tests cost $36 each, or $144. In 2024, Adult Education Center leaders reached out to explain how prohibitive this cost is for students, who often skip the $7 practice tests to afford the final exams, and Charity Reimagined, with funding from Press Christmas for All, awarded the center $3,240 in vouchers to support students on their journeys.

“When they’re ready, they can take the tests and not worry about, ‘How am I going to scrounge this up when I have other bills or a gas tank to fill?’" Everts said. "They can just put the focus on this.”

The number of GED test takers in October 2024 was 91, much higher than the 28 in 2023 and the 58 in 2022.

As of Wednesday, 270 vouchers since fiscal year 2024 have been awarded; 200 used, and $9,720 donated to assist with 139 GED tests.

Peyton Wakefield, 19, Spirit Lake, is a voucher recipient. He is closing in on his GED diploma, with one language arts test remaining.

“I’m hopefully going to get the GED soon — I don’t know the exact time,” said Wakefield, who left high school at 16.

He said it's amazing that Charity Reimagined supports GED test takers. He previously sent a thank-you note to Charity Reimagined, sharing how having the GED tests covered has helped him on his educational path. He said he wants to work with machines once he gets through this chapter of his life.

“We’re impacting people at every level in the community," said Charity Reimagined board member Judy Coe.

Charity Reimagined is a nonprofit that works with businesses and organizations throughout the community to maximize the effectiveness of giving through a "hand up, not handout" mentality. It manages the funds generously donated to Press Christmas for All during the holidays, ensuring every dollar goes toward elevating those who need a boost to overcome life's hurdles.

Through Christmas for All, Coe said Charity Reimagined also awards gas cards to Adult Education students as needed and provides snacks. Hence, food is available to those in need as they work to further their education.

“We try to support them in every aspect we can," Coe said.

She said it means the world to Charity Reimagined and its community partners to be able to offer support where they can.

“Everybody has their own piece of the pie, but when everybody comes together and shares the pie, you can impact so many more people and so many more lives," Coe said.

    Peyton Wakefield, 19, of Spirit Lake, shows a diagram of an animal cell he illustrated in his work at the Adult Education Center, in preparation for the GED tests.