This year, students taking a persuasion class that Auburn University offers are handed a uniquely impactful opportunity to engage in a fundraiser for the BigHouse Foundation, a nonprofit organization that serves to meet the needs of foster and adoptive families in East Alabama.
BigHouse is currently working on The Little House Preschool and Development Center, a meaningful project to be established in the near future. Designed to be a trauma-informed anchor for children ranging from ages 0 to 5, Little House will provide not just childcare but also holistic support through therapy, counseling, early intervention and developmental care – each tailored to meet the specific needs of children in foster care.
For this project, students taking the class are grouped with around five classmates and challenged to individually create strategies to raise money. One particular group of students found success by incorporating Auburn pride into their project.
Hailey Mouat, sophomore on the pre-law track, and her four classmates – Skylar Pearce, Madison Monsma, Luci Saynuck and Anna Ryan Sharp – contacted Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold to promote their fundraiser. When they reached out, Mouat shared that Arnold almost immediately agreed to the idea and was “more than willing” to support the cause.
With recorded videos and social media posts, Arnold has served as a spark to promote awareness and action toward the cause.
“We just wanted someone who really represents Auburn – a recognizable figure who could help us gain attention and support,” Mouat said.
The original Instagram post that launched the group’s project now sits at over 21,000 views. As the face of the fundraiser, Arnold has helped the group increase engagement, awareness and action through a series of videos featuring himself and other Auburn football players promoting support for the early-intervention daycare on their Instagram page.
Children who enter the child welfare system face unique and deeply personal challenges in both their development and sense of relational security. Experiencing instability during some of the most critical periods of life often results in a need for trauma-informed care and treatment to help counter the extreme stress and adversity they’ve endured. This heightened need for psychosocial nurturing and individualized support underscores the importance of the early-intervention preschool and developmental center that BigHouse is striving to create.
“All the donations go toward helping foster kids in need. Every child deserves a fair chance at life and education. Early intervention has been shown to help these kids not just from Lee County but from all over the state," Mouat said.
Little House is a powerful project in that it’s not just responding to a need but also reimagining what support for children in foster care can look like. Little House is working to become a model for trauma-informed preschools, showing what healing-centered education truly means. It is designed to be a space built on understanding, where children who have faced instability can finally feel safe, nurtured and free to grow.
With growing awareness, whether through Arnold’s promotion or Auburn students' efforts, support for Little House doesn’t just help one foster child. It further lays the groundwork for a much-needed system of care, one that reaches beyond East Alabama. The goal isn’t just to create a single program but to model what intentional, trauma-informed support can look like when it’s rooted in understanding and compassion. Little House could stand as an example that other organizations can learn from and adapt, ultimately shaping a broader culture of awareness and care for children who need it most.
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