Our History

On May 20, 1978, an explosion and resulting fire in the home of John and Brenda Vaughn resulted in severe injuries to Mrs. Vaughn and their two-year-old daughter, Becky. Mrs. Vaughn sustained third degree burns over 65% of her body as she rescued her daughter from what would have been certain death. Two-year-old Becky sustained third degree burns over 95% of her body. Neither was expected to live through this tragedy.

 

Seven months later, Mrs. Vaughn was released from the South Carolina Burn Center. Seven months after Mrs. Vaughn’s release, the Shriner’s Burn Institute in Cincinnati, Ohio, allowed Becky to return home. Becky is one of only a few children to survive the many complications of an almost total body burn.

 

The future held many additional surgeries for both mother and daughter. Two years quickly passed, and the issue of Becky’s education surfaced. Realizing that something needed to be done to provide for her education, her father began to search for a school that would be able to minister to Becky’s special physical needs as well as her academic and spiritual needs.  There were no schools available to meet all of Becky’s needs.

 

With God’s direction, Pastor John Vaughn began Hidden Treasure Christian School in August of 1981. The enrollment for that year included two students – his then five-year-old daughter, Becky, and a thirteen-year-old young lady with Down syndrome. The following year, enrollment doubled to four students. For many years, student enrollment steadily increased. Over 40 years have passed, and Hidden Treasure is still educating students with special needs. What started out to be a school designed to meet the needs of the mentally and physically disabled in the local area soon became a school providing for the needs of students with varying disabilities from around the nation and the world. 

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