Ali Holroyde
Fostering Hope
story by ERIN WALLACE photos by JENNY PHILLIPS
Beaufort finds a way to host some of the most extraordinary people, who happen to be your next-door neighbor or the person walking alongside you at the grocery store. Yet, you would have no idea how frequently the ordinary is more extraordinary than you realize. Often, it simply takes opening your eyes to see what’s right in front of you. One exceptional resident of this more-than-ordinary town is Ali Holroyde. A woman not originally from Beaufort, but you would never know, as she naturally cares for this community in all the various roles she finds herself in since arriving.
Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Ali attended Ohio State University and earned a degree in hospitality management and a minor in business. Ali and her husband, Alex, have known each other since middle school, and their love story began in high school as sophomores. The pair earned their title as high school sweethearts and then parted ways as they attended two different colleges over 500 miles away. They had to endure a long-distance relationship, but they made it work. This dynamic duo was previously involved with Young Life (YL) during high school. Young Life is a ministry that introduces adolescents to Christ and helps them grow in their faith. They both wanted to become volunteer Young Life leaders and impact teenagers’ lives as their YL leaders did for them. This connected them through the years apart during college. Little did they know that their passion for serving and seeing teenagers come to Christ would set the tone for the next chapter in their lives.
During their senior year of college, a YL Area Director, who had supervised Ali, asked them to pray specifically about going on staff with Young Life. He encouraged them that they were naturally gifted leaders with a missionary heart to see young people impacted by the Gospel. Although they had both loved volunteering with Young Life, Ali stated, “We had our whole lives planned at 22. We were going to stay in Ohio, we had jobs lined up for after graduation, but the Lord had different plans.” They eventually interviewed with Young Life, and with this curve ball — an unexpected blessing — they were hired. The newlywed Holroydes moved to the Lowcountry in the fall 2010 to begin a new marriage and adventure on Young Life staff.
Ali quickly began her job as Area Director, and when the Holroydes entered the scene, YL had only been a part of Beaufort culture for four years, starting in 2006. The first two years were challenging as the ministry worked to build a new foundation. Their goal in the early years was to be present in the community and at the high schools, where Ali coached cheerleading at Beaufort High, and Alex coached golf. They believed in showing up in people’s lives on good and hard days. Whether cheering for her high school friends at the softball game or putting an arm around them as they lost at Lower State, the ministry of presence was always foundational. Ali was taught, “Teens spell love T.I.M.E,” and the ministry started to grow and expand as new ministries were started like Wyldlife (Young Life for middle schoolers) and YoungLives (Young Life for adolescent parents).
Ali herself knows the impact that YL can have on a high school student. Ali grew up in a churchgoing family, where a lot of seeds about Jesus were planted, but she still viewed God as a God of a vast amount of rules and another person to please in her life. The turning point for Ali came in high school when a Young Life leader who was a college student entered her world. She built a relationship with Ali and her friends by spending time with them. As Ali spent more time with her Young Life leader, she learned what a relationship with God looked like. It was through their friendship that the seeds, planted by her church, began to take root and grow. Ali says she is forever grateful for the adults who invested in her life in high school because it has shaped who she is today.
Currently, Ali serves as the Regional YoungLives Coordinator for South Carolina and the greater Charlotte areas. She helped start YoungLives here in Beaufort in 2015, shortly before giving birth to their first child, Addie May, and this ministry has held a special place in her heart. Being a mom is hard, but being a teenage mom is even harder. Often forgotten or overlooked, just over 50% of teen parents will graduate high school, and only 2% of young teen moms, those who become mothers before age 18, will graduate from college by their 30th birthday. The YoungLives ministry reminds adolescent parents that they and their child have incredible value and worth, and are loved by the God of the universe. Nationally, when teen parents are involved in YoungLives for over 18 months, the high school graduation rate jumps to 72%. YoungLives understands the statistic that when a wife and/or mother meets the Lord in a family, 23% of those same women will lead their husband and children to faith. However, when a father and/or husband meets the Lord, 94% of them lead their entire family to faith. As a Regional YoungLives Coordinator, she has helped start nine new YoungLives ministries throughout the Carolinas that are currently connected to over 470 teen parents. Ali said, “Our culture can tend to write off young parents and — especially teen fathers — as not being worth investing in, so I do feel very passionately that this is a very vulnerable population of kids that need mentors to say you are valuable, you are worthy, the God of the universe loves you, and I am with you in the long run.”
Back in 2018, Ali had another dream for teen moms. She believed they had the right to attend Young Life camps during the year, just like traditional teenagers. Young Life camps are some of the most beautiful properties you have ever seen; in fact, it might be more accurate to call them resorts. Young Life camp is often said to be the “best weekend of your life.” To provide this opportunity for teen moms and their babies would be a massive undertaking, but Ali and her team were up for the challenge. Since 2018, almost 600 moms and babies have attended Carolina Point, a Young Life camp in Brevard, NC.
Now, where can you find the Holroydes when they aren’t serving Young Life? Ali and Alex are parents to four incredible girls: Addie May, 8; twins, Norah and Charlee Grace, 5; and Sadie, 3. Their days are beautifully wound up in raising this girl crew. Walking alongside teenagers who have been a part of foster care has opened the Holroydes’ eyes to caring for kids and vulnerable families involved in foster care. As they parent their biological children, they additionally have taken on the role of foster parents in hopes of sharing their lives and the Gospel with kids and their families. They hope to support and care for local families as they work toward the goal of reunification. Over the last 14 months of fostering, they’ve already welcomed three kids into their home. Ali communicated that stepping into the world of foster care is heartbreaking and one of the hardest things they’ve done as a family. “It has stretched us, changed our prayer lives, and reminded us that all families need a community to come alongside them and remind them they are loved, seen, supported, and that there is hope because of Christ. Jesus summed up the entire law by saying, ‘Love God and love your neighbor.’ Serving as foster care parents allows our family to love our neighbor and community in a practical way.”
This sounds like a woman with a full plate, but once you talk to Ali, you realize you are filled up and inspired to care for some of the most vulnerable in our community. In reality, having a full plate is chaotic; it requires flexibility, a great deal of patience, and, most importantly, leaning on the Lord every day. This story reflects the power of showing up in people’s lives and by practicing the ministry of presence, you can make a generational impact in someone’s life — the same way Ali’s Young Life leader did for her, and the way Ali has done for countless others. So, pick up the phone and make the call, invite that friend to lunch, and begin to give up your most precious resource … T.I.M.E, because that’s how you truly love people.
