Troy University alumna Kathy Maggart has dedicated her entire life to the care and education of children, and her newest venture aims not just to educate them, but to inspire a love for community and country.

Born into a Navy family, Maggart’s first experience working with children was babysitting. In college, she worked as a teacher assistant at a preschool before becoming a pre-k teacher and later a director.

She married her husband, Tim, during this time, and a year into their marriage he joined the Army. Over the course of their travels, Maggart created her own business, Sensational Storytelling, that brought stories to life with costumes, props and music.

“My whole life has revolved around working with children and my passionate love for their well-being,” she said. “I always felt like I was paid for having fun because I simply loved all my opportunities to invest into the hearts and minds of children!”

Once the couple’s children entered elementary school, Maggart became involved with a new group of students and a learning environment that inspired her to pursue a master’s degree. Stationed at Fort Benning, she chose to attend TROY’s Phenix City Campus and graduated in 2002 with a master’s degree in elementary education.

“My experience at TROY during that time was truly exceptional,” she said. “I loved the challenge and preparation I received at TROY, and this allowed me to excel in the classroom as an elementary teacher in Phenix City Schools.”

With the dream of writing a children’s book always in the back of her mind, the idea was brought back to life during her time as a first-grade teacher. While reading on the internet one day, her husband discovered the story of the 1947 Freedom Train—a train that traveled across the United States for 16 months displaying important historical documents for public viewing. This event served as the inspiration for her next venture.

“I was amazed and intrigued with this widely unknown patriotic event, and believe it is very relevant for today in terms of instilling patriotic values into our upcoming generations of students,” she said. 

Maggart started her own publishing company, Freedom Train For Kids, and published two historical fiction books in April 2021: “All Aboard America’s Freedom Train” for children in pre-k through second grade and “America’s Patriotic Freedom Train” for children in third through fifth grade. The books were co-authored with Kathie Eidson and illustrated by Jon MacGregor.

“Our books take kids on an inspiring journey to understand patriotism, build strong character and the desire to positively impact their peers and community with action-based, caring ideas,” she said.

The books have received endorsements from Troy University Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr. and America’s first female four-star general, Gen. (Ret.) Ann E. Dunwoody, among others.

“When I think about Troy University, its leadership and my experience with the leadership, it is profound to me how much they care about my ongoing passion and dreams. TROY has come alongside our vision and provided substantial support in many capacities of what our publishing company is navigating,” she said. “I love to wear my TROY ball cap all the time and am so proud of my Troy University.”

In the works alongside a third and fourth book is the development of a non-profit that focuses on children’s literacy: Freedom Trains For Kids Foundation. The foundation’s goal is to provide the books to pre-k through fifth grade students and their teachers with the inclusion of an interactive learning experience—a bus designed to look like the seven-car Freedom Train

So far, 66 schools have expressed a desire to have the patriotic bus tour make a stop on their campus.

“We’re really excited to get this tour going, but it’s all about timing,” Maggart said. “There are many moving parts coming together, and with this, our vision is very much alive.”

She has worked closely with Lynne Firmin George and TROY’s IDEA Bank over the last two years planning a marketing and branding strategy as well as a pitch deck for investor opportunities,

“Working with Lynne has been an incredibly invaluable opportunity for our company,” she said. “Lynne came alongside and guided our process with the best of business knowledge and experience. I believe we now have an excellent advantage in giving our dreams of success the absolute best chance. It’s really been a game changer for us.”

In addition to the foundation, Maggart said they are developing a curriculum to accompany the book series to help fulfill their goal of building a foundational understanding of patriotism in today’s youth to “enrich their values, dreams and resilience…and foster a servant leadership attitude.”

The books can be purchased from through the official website and Amazon.

For more information about the Freedom Train for Kids Foundation or to make a donation, click here.