By: Shannon Coffey, Perimeter School alum

We recently caught up with several of our Perimeter School alumni, and we are excited to share with you how Perimeter School has influenced their stories and how God is using them for kingdom impact.

Our next alumni spotlight is Shannon (Cahill) Coffey, Perimeter School Class of 1995. 

WHAT DO YOU DO? WHERE DO YOU LIVE?

I am an attorney and relationship manager at The Signatry, a Christian donor-advised fund sponsor. I live in Charlotte, North Carolina with my husband and three children (and usually someone else is also living with us who is not biologically related … but a brother or sister in Christ!). Currently, we have a German exchange student and a Chapel Hill fellow living with us, and we are awaiting placement for a Filipino child this summer.

HOW DID YOUR TIME AT PERIMETER SCHOOL INFLUENCE WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU DO TODAY?

The relationships seeded at Perimeter School influenced me greatly. My mom was a quadriplegic. She could not walk or drive. The families of my Perimeter classmates were the gospel in real life to us: carpooling my sister and me to activities, providing meals, caring for us when my mom could not, taking us to appointments, vacations, church, and sports, and including us in everything. When I look back on my Perimeter School years, I had joyful, full experiences because of the families who brought me into the fold. 

I spent those years being in the homes of other families where I saw my friends’ parents dance, laugh, and pray together. This impacted me greatly, and I want my children’s friends to experience the same thing. My husband and I have committed to creating this kind of culture in our home. We want to be like those parents of my classmates at Perimeter School, pouring ourselves out. 

"IF IT WEREN'T FOR PERIMETER SCHOOL, I WOULDN'T KNOW . . .”

The meaning of community. It is important for us to have our children see us fill gaps where there is a need. We certainly do not do it perfectly, but that is also something I learned from Perimeter School. If you wait to help someone perfectly, you will never help at all. When a drink pours out, it spills off the table sometimes. It can be messy, but we are called to pour ourselves out like a drink. It all started with Perimeter School.

IN WHAT WAYS IS THE WORK YOU ARE DOING NOW SPIRITUALLY AND CULTURALLY SIGNIFICANT?

For most of my adult life, I was in court trying cases involving the custody of children, the adoption of children, and litigating the best interests of the children. It was significant because we are called to serve orphans and widows and care for those in distress.

Now, I have the joy of helping people in need in a different way. At the Signatry, I work with generous people to help them leverage non-cash assets to support churches, ministries, and charities they care about, including schools like Perimeter School! I help people who own businesses or real estate and their advisors reduce tax liability and increase their charitable giving. It is rewarding to see repeated blessings the more they give. The acts of worship, stewardship, and giving never return void.

This is culturally significant because we are called to be salt and light in our culture. The Signatry offers light: tools for Christians to steward assets wisely with teams of experts using their gifts.

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace.”
(1 Peter 4:10)