Heart for Service: A School Administrator’s Story of Purpose and Impact at The Next Door
From The Next Door:
By Jordan Flores
The Dalles, Ore., Dec. 22, 2025 — At The Next Door, we believe that caring for others is a form of self-care. When we show up for our community, we strengthen our own sense of purpose, resilience, and belonging. That belief comes to life through the people who pour their hearts into this work.
Tim Shampoe, our School Administrator, is a powerful example of this truth and his leadership, shaped by experience and fueled by empathy, changes lives in our therapeutic schooling program every day.
For many years, serving in the military gave Tim the opportunity to serve, protect, and care for others. He helped young soldiers become better humans and, in turn, he found a mission to believe in and a sense of purpose. But when an injury abruptly ended his career, everything changed. The future Tim had imagined for himself was gone and with no mission to guide him forward, he felt lost. All that remained was his passion for helping people, so Tim began searching for a new way to continue doing just that.
When he made the decision to go back to school to become a teacher, Tim knew there were limits to what he could do within the traditional school system. Some students needed more support than a typical classroom could offer. They needed more time, more understanding, more healing, and Tim wanted to serve those kids who were falling through the cracks.
“When I heard about The Next Door, I thought, ‘I can relate to those kids,’” reflects Tim.
Growing up with a single mom and living in low-income housing, Tim has lived what many of the kids in our program are facing now. He understands the youth who come to our therapeutic schooling program in ways that can’t be taught or trained, and this lived work experience allows him to show up for our students on some of their hardest days.
When the youth walk through our doors, Tim meets them with understanding and empathy because he knows firsthand that healing happens in community. Tim advocates for programs that open doors to new opportunities for our students like donor-funded music and art therapy to give them a healthy, creative outlet to express their emotions. Each week, he visits the youth at our residential home in The Dalles to remind them that they are cared for not just at school but everywhere all the time. And in an effort to create a sense of normalcy for our students, Tim is the first-ever School Administrator to host a graduation ceremony, giving youth and their families an opportunity to celebrate all of their hard work and many achievements together.
In giving so much of himself to others, Tim has found his purpose again.
“If I wasn’t here, I don’t know what my mission would be,” says Tim. “PTSD is exacerbated when you leave the military and you don’t have a mission or a purpose. Here, I have a purpose to wake up every day and know that I make a difference.”
It’s people like Tim who bring a heart for service, steadfast dedication to serving others, and a shared purpose rooted in experience to The Next Door. His story is just one example of how meaningful change happens when we choose to show up for one another with empathy and intention.
Now through December 31st, every gift will be matched up to $45,000! When you give to The Next Door, you’re strengthening your community, uplifting your neighbors, and getting to experience the joy and fulfillment that comes from caring for others. The greatest impact you can make is right here at home. Visit nextdoorinc.org/donate to double your impact today and help us meet our match.
The Next Door Inc. (TNDI), founded in 1971, is the largest social service agency in the Gorge, serving over 13,000 people annually in a seven-county region across Oregon and Washington. With over 35 programs, TNDI supports and empowers children and families, striving to fulfill our mission of opening doors to new possibilities by strengthening children and families and improving communities. For more information, please visit https://nextdoorinc.org/
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