Generosity of LU’s founder comes full circle with last of 8 siblings graduating with full-tuition scholarships

The Apon family circle has had Liberty University at its epicenter for the past 15 years, since founder Dr. Jerry Falwell vowed to grant all eight of Bobby and Lori Apon’s children a Christian education on its grounds.

Bobby Apon, a founding member of the contemporary Christian band NewSong, committed suicide in 1999. Lori still remembers the overwhelming sense of gratitude she felt after receiving a call from Johnny Hunt — pastor of First Baptist Church Woodstock, Ga., who had performed her husband’s funeral and was also a member of Liberty’s Board of Trustees — with the news of Falwell’s gracious offer of full-tuition scholarships for all of her children.

“As a young widow with eight children, I knew God would be faithful to our family but had no idea how,” Lori Apon said. “It was a ‘wow’ moment, almost too good to be true.”

Less than a year after Dr. Falwell made that generous pledge — while the oldest Apon child, Abi Fasciano (’10), was finishing her freshman year at Liberty — he passed away on May 15, 2007.

“Nothing was in writing confirming this incredible gift, however, Liberty University stood by Dr. Falwell’s verbal word and our lives have been deeply impacted because of the opportunity to attend this great school,” Lori said.

She was sad that Dr. Falwell could not be on hand to see her youngest son, Micah — who was 13 months old when his father died — graduate magna cum laude with a B.S. in Strategic Communication on Tuesday.

“I wish he were here so we could tell him thank you,” Lori said. “It was a relief for me. The nest needed to empty, so Liberty was a great place to send them. I knew they were going to receive biblically sound teaching and were going to have friends who were fellow believers. It was a place I could trust, and it’s proven to be that.”

Micah Apon will return to the Atlanta area to work as a Creative Event Specialist with Techtronic Industries (TTI).

He will miss the friendships he developed on campus and on Thomas Road Baptist Church’s young adults ministry team.

“The community that Liberty brings here, it attracts incredible people,” Micah said. “I have some of the best friends, I’ve had some of the best mentors, and I’ve had some of the best professors. So that’s helped me to learn and grow into a better man.”

His siblings have also been blessed by mentors and father figures at Liberty. For Christieanna Apon (’16), it was Liberty Track & Field Assistant Coach Andrew “Pete” McFadden. For Brandon Apon (’13, ’15) , it was former Flames Football strength & conditioning director Bill Gillespie and Offensive Coordinator Aaron Stamn, who exhorted him as he worked his way up from a walk-on to a team captain and record-setting tight end by his senior season.

“So many have mentored them,” Lori Apon said, including former Dean of Admissions Dr. Terrell Elam, who demonstrated God’s love toward her sons “in a powerful way.”

“When you look to God as Father, He uses so many people to impact and make a difference for His glory, and He’s done that here,” she added.

The siblings said Liberty has been a pivotal launching pad for them to thrive in their post-graduation careers — from Abi, who with husband Nick Fasciano (’09) is raising five sons while investing in their church and community in North Carolina; to Evan, who traveled around the country sharing the love and hope of Jesus Christ and recruiting students to Liberty as part of its Soar Dunk Team and is now a community leader for the Maple Street Biscuit Company in Duluth, Ga.; to Kayla Whittinghill (’11) who, with her husband, Ben, are church planters blessed with six children in Brattleboro, Vt.; to Amy Carroll (’18), a flight attendant with Delta, and her husband Joey (’18), a traveling nurse currently based in Washington, D.C.; to Christieanna, an insurance agent in Denver; to Isaac (’16), director of social media and creative services for Liberty Athletics; and to Brandon, General Manager at Mall of Georgia Mazda in Buford, Ga.

Brandon Apon said he thanks Liberty “for giving a family an opportunity for a world-class education that was otherwise impossible. We will forever be indebted.”

He is now giving back to his alma mater as a member of the School of Business Advisory Board. He had a hand in introducing Rick Hendrick — CEO of the Hendrick Automotive Group and Hendrick Motorsports — to Liberty. Hendrick helped launch the automotive dealership management cognate through the business administration degree.

“Through our partnership, I have employed dozens of Liberty students, and they are consistently the best of the best in our organization,” Brandon Apon said. “I’m just a cog in the wheel. It’s been neat to see how the Lord has worked it all and connected those two worlds.”

He said the level of generosity from Liberty toward his family is beyond understanding.

“How do you ever repay something like that?” Brandon Apon said. “That’s why each of us have felt compelled to give back — not guilted to, but we don’t take it for granted.”

He has been encouraged to invest in others by the legacy left by Falwell and also modeled by his mother.

“You can’t out-give God,” Brandon Apon said. “My mom has lived that out. She’s always been faithful and generous with her giving. She’s a great example of what life looks like when you live with open hands … and a testament to the saying, ‘The light that shines the farthest shines the brightest at home.’”

Lori Apon has sent out all of her children to go “Light their World,” in reference to a song by NewSong. She said Liberty has given them a solid spiritual foundation to equip them for their personal and professional lives.

Drawing inspiration from biblical passages such as Isaiah 1:17, James 1:27, and Psalm 68:5, which refer to God as the “father of the fatherless” and “protector of widows,” she serves as Executive Director of Perspective Ministries, which she founded as a 501c3 nonprofit organization in 2016 to meet the practical, emotional, and spiritual needs of widows and their children across the United States — where there are more than 11 million widows and 43 percent of all children are living without a father in the home — and around the world. Her ministry, based in Woodstock, Ga., follows a Pillars of Grace strategy to equip churches, volunteers, and mentors to provide ongoing support.

“The greatest part of this story is that it brings hope to other widows and fatherless children,” Lori Apon said. “May the Lord continue to keep His hand on Liberty University for its kindness to the fatherless.”