By Angie Kleven

Las Vegas is an amazing place to homeschool. For those seeking social interaction, parent mentoring and support, and clubs or classes for their children, there’s no shortage of opportunities. With Nevada’s public education system struggling and ongoing budget cuts hitting hard, more and more parents are turning to alternative forms of education each year.

This surge in homeschooling has created vibrant communities and opened exciting doors—but it’s also brought growing pains. Most homeschool activities, clubs, and events are hosted outdoors during cooler months or inside private homes. A few groups have access to church buildings, but for the majority, space is limited and often stretched beyond capacity.

Over three years ago, a friend and I launched a 501(c)(3) nonprofit called Home Education and Leadership Programs of Southern Nevada. We spent over a year working to bring it to life. While there was some support, it wasn’t enough to keep it going, and HELP had to be dissolved shortly after it began. Still, the feeling that I was supposed to provide a dedicated space for homeschoolers never left me—I just didn’t know how to move forward.

Eventually, I decided to return to school and pursue online coursework in nonprofit management, hoping to better equip myself for the journey ahead. Then, just as I was beginning that path, I received an email from three homeschooling mothers in Las Vegas who felt the same pull I did—to create a permanent facility. And in August 2009, RISE Resource Center was born.

RISE came together much faster than HELP ever did. We quickly secured nonprofit and tax-exempt status, and as momentum built, we connected with the wider homeschooling community, encouraged that we were offering something truly needed. With a strong business plan in hand, we began reaching out to property managers and potential donors. Our ask: 1.5 million dollars—enough to open our doors and sustain operations for three years. In our minds, it felt reasonable. We truly believed that the right people would step forward.

But they didn’t—at least not then. So we reworked our plan. Again and again. And through it all, I learned something deeply important: The Law of Gestation.

This law teaches that every idea has its own development period. Just because something doesn’t bloom right away doesn’t mean the seed isn’t good. A quaking aspen tree can grow five feet in a year, while an oak only grows one. Yet the oak, though slower to rise, is sturdier, more dependable, and built to last.

Maybe my nonprofit is an oak. Maybe it’s been quietly growing roots deep beneath the surface—roots I can’t yet see. Maybe its slow, steady growth is exactly what’s needed to create something strong and lasting, something that will ultimately serve more people, more powerfully, for a much longer time.

I believe in the vision. I know the idea is good. I believe the timing was right. I’ve done everything I can, and now, I wait. It might be that the community isn’t quite ready. Or maybe there’s someone else who still needs to join us to complete the picture. Maybe we, the directors, still have more to learn before we’re fully prepared to lead where this is meant to go.

Whatever the reason, The Law of Gestation gives me peace. I know I planted this seed with care. I’ve nurtured it with everything I have. And I’ll continue to act when the time calls for it. Until then, I trust that when the moment is right, RISE Resource Center will do exactly what its name promises—it will rise.