Faith, Family, and the Work of Showing Up: The Heart Behind Catie Swenson.

In communities like Texarkana, leadership often looks different than a title or a boardroom. Sometimes it looks like a mother driving between hospitals to see her newborn. Sometimes it looks like a stranger sitting beside a frightened parent in a NICU waiting room, and sometimes it looks like quietly choosing, day after day, to love people through the hardest seasons of their lives. For Catie Swenson, that kind of leadership grew out of her own story—one rooted in faith, family, and a deep sense of calling that unfolded through both joy and hardship.

“I was raised in Fouke, Arkansas, surrounded by family and land,” she says. “My dad grew up on a farm, and it was always his dream to have his own farm and include his children in that dream.” Her parents, Curtis and Carol Mudford, built their lives around service and faith. “My parents were both teachers. My dad was a deacon, and my mom played the piano at our very tiny, Baptist church in backwoods Arkansas. It warms my heart to think about Sundays growing up.”

Those Sundays remain some of her most treasured memories. “So much of my family went to the same church, and after church we would usually go to my Memaw and Pop’s house for Sunday lunch with cousins, aunts, and uncles. Very fond memories. It was in this tiny church that I gave my heart to the Lord as a young child. I certainly made big mistakes after that, but I remember that Sunday morning very clearly. I was a sinner in need of a Savior!” Catie says.

Catie grew up with two brothers, who remain among her closest confidants. “I am very much a middle child, always have worn that like a badge. Both of my brothers, Josh and Caleb Mudford, are two of my favorite people in life. They have my back and always have. They are both my go-to voices of reason. They have always been level-headed and a voice of reason for their sister, who can experience highs and lows. Every girl should have at least one amazing brother, I was blessed with two,” she says.

She attended Genoa Central School, where the close-knit environment created friendships that still endure. Small-town life also had its humorous realities. Catie explains, “Another thing about going to a small school and your mom teaching there is if I made a big mistake, my mom knew it before 3:30.”

After graduation, her path eventually led her into marketing. She attended SAU for her first year of college but did not find her rhythm there. She returned to Texarkana and completed her bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in marketing at Texas A&M University – Texarkana. During that time, an unexpected opportunity shaped both her career and her future family.

“During my college career, I got a job working for the Texarkana Bandits Junior Hockey Team as a marketing assistant. That is where my passion for marketing, sales, business, and people really started, and during this time, is when I started my company, Innovative Marketing.” It was also where she met Scott Swenson, who would become her husband.

The story still makes her laugh. “I remember when Jon Cooper interviewed me. He told me that if he hired me, I needed to understand I did not need to date players or staff. I told him that it would not be a problem. God had other plans because I married the Assistant Coach,” Catie exclaims.

Today, Catie and Scott have been married for nearly two decades and are raising three boys together. Grant is 15 years old and in the ninth grade at Texas High. Tyler is 12 years old and in the sixth grade at Red Lick Middle School, and  SJ is nine years old and in the second grade at Red Lick Elementary School. Like many mothers, she describes each child with both honesty and deep affection.

“Grant has been our guinea pig as the oldest child, but like most oldest children, he sets the bar high. Tyler is truly a middle child, and as previously stated, I can relate. SJ, oh SJ. This one is tough as nails,” she says. Her youngest son’s story, however, would become the catalyst for something far bigger than their family ever expected.

“If you had told the girl who was a marketing assistant for the hockey team that she would grow up to marry the assistant coach, start a small business, have three boys, and begin a nonprofit, that girl would have said, ‘There is no way!’ But God,” Catie says.

In 2016, while pregnant with SJ, doctors warned the family that their baby might have serious complications. She explains, “We found out in December of 2016 that SJ may have complications. Dr. J called to share with me that a test came back indicating SJ may have Spina Bifida.” What followed were months of medical visits, uncertainty, and prayer.

For the better part of three months, the Swenson family would travel back and forth to Little Rock to check on their sweet baby. Then, during a family trip, her health suddenly declined. “When we got back to Texarkana, over the course of a day, it became evident I needed Scott to take me to the hospital. I had become preeclamptic and was admitted to Wadley. I was 30 weeks pregnant,” she says. “Our church, family, friends, and prayer warriors, literally around the world, began to pray for 32 weeks and a healthy baby. One of our neighbors at the time, Kim Strand, a labor and delivery nurse, took every shift she could the weekend I was there. She encouraged Dr. Leonard to send me to Little Rock. My preeclampsia had turned into the HELLP syndrome. I had become increasingly sick. There was a real concern of losing my baby and me. They decided to have me airlifted to UAMS. Kim saved my life and my baby’s life!”

Catie was airlifted to Little Rock, where doctors prepared for an emergency delivery. SJ was taken via emergency C-section in less than five hours from Catie’s arrival in Little Rock. What happened next left even the medical team astonished. Catie explains, “After SJ was born on March 20, 2017, breathing room air, a healthy heart and lungs, and NO Spina Bifida, my nurse told Scott and my brothers, that there was no doubt who was in control in that room.”

Catie’s placenta was over 60% abrupted. The nurse stated that she had seen so many babies in better conditions not survive. However, the nurse said, “God has big plans for this one!” The nurse’s words stayed with the Swenson couple.

SJ spent 65 days in neonatal intensive care across three hospitals before finally coming home. During that season, Catie and Scott experienced overwhelming support from their community. “When SJ was in the NICU, so many family, friends, church family, and even strangers met us right where we were,” she says. One moment in particular became a turning point. “On one of those trips, a friend of ours who had recently lost his dad to brain cancer and had also been diagnosed with a rare brain tumor himself, left a card of encouragement and a $100 gas card on our porch.”

The gesture deeply moved her. “It touched us in such a mighty way. Someone fighting incredible battles was helping us through ours,” Catie says. That evening, she called Scott with a realization. “I remember saying, ‘I do not know what this is all about or why we are going through it, but I know it is bigger than us. I believe God is going to really do something in this.’”

From that moment, the vision for Fearfully and Wonderfully Made began to take shape.

“That is the moment I believe God laid Fearfully and Wonderfully Made on our hearts,” she explains. Today, the nonprofit provides care packages, encouragement, and community support for NICU families and those facing infant loss. For Catie, the work is deeply personal as she says, “I think about how much it meant to be on the receiving side of blessings.”

Unless a person walks a NICU journey, it is hard to explain to someone else. Catie says, “With a NICU family, to a certain extent, I have an idea of what they are feeling. I have an idea of the lies the enemy is whispering. Being able to remind them of God’s promises to us and shining light into spaces that can get really dark really quickly, it is a blessing.”

She believes the smallest gestures often matter the most to NICU Families. “Walking alongside, to me, means texting someone when I think about them, calling if necessary, and sometimes it means simply showing up. Sometimes that looks like picking up lunch to bring to those parents, or a coffee for the nurses,” she says.

The organization has grown steadily in Texarkana, supported by volunteers, churches, and businesses across the community. “Seeing the growing support from our community from individuals, businesses, and churches, the impact of having a platform that other community members want to be a part of is overwhelmingly humbling. Being able to see the families at NICU Parents’ Night Out, as well as seeing all of the community members show up for the BE THE LIGHT 5K and the Festival of Trees, is amazing. You would think I would be used to it by now, but every time is like the first time. I think because so many have been willing to support us, we have been able to bring significant awareness to the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) and to loss.” Catie says.

Despite the recognition she has received, Catie is quick to downplay her role. “What we do daily is literally just choosing to be kind to people fighting hard battles.” That belief shapes how she hopes others will see the ministry, as she says, “I would hope they understand that our family is a normal family that went through a difficult storm.” That storm, she believes, opened the door to something meaningful. “Out of that, God allowed us to serve and love other people going through a similar journey,” she says.

Her message to families facing overwhelming circumstances reflects the same faith that carried her through her own. “I would reference Isaiah 43:2. When we walk through storms, it feels like the water or the wind will overtake us, that we are not strong enough to handle one more thing, but when you know Jesus, you know the One who speaks to the wind and the waves, and they obey,” Catie says.

For the Texarkana community, Catie Swenson’s leadership is a reminder that sometimes the most powerful influence does not come from standing in front—it comes from standing beside.

And often, it begins with something as simple as showing up.

To learn more about the organization, please visit: https://fwmtexarkana.org/

Quote from nomination: “My family was going through one of the most critical and overwhelming seasons we have faced with Jacob. Fearfully and Wonderfully Made stepped in with compassion, strength, and unwavering support. Catie leads with such a genuine heart — she doesn’t just serve the community; she truly walks alongside families in their hardest moments. Through Fearfully and Wonderfully Made, she creates a space of encouragement, hope, and faith when it is needed most.” – Jessica Daffern