Each year, Curtin Team Cares brings the Roswell community together for the annual Roswell Home Refresh Project. Local businesses, volunteers, neighbors and friends come together to give back to a Roswell school teacher or staff member who has been navigating a challenging season.

This year’s recipient is Caroline Oxford, a lifelong Roswell resident, third-grade teacher at Vickery Mill Elementary, wife to Chris and mom to their three-year-old son, Cooper, who turns four this fall.

Family is at the center of Caroline’s life. She and Chris met on Tinder in 2015, only to later discover a surprising connection between their families: Chris’s grandfather had once been the preacher at Caroline’s grandparents’ church. Today, they live in Roswell with their son and their three dogs, Peety, Calli and Ellie.

Deep Roots in Roswell

Caroline grew up in Roswell, attending Sweet Apple Elementary, Elkins Pointe Middle School and Roswell High School. She even spent her summers working as a lifeguard, an experience she credits with helping shape who she is today.

When she and Chris were ready to put down roots of their own, Caroline knew where she hoped they would land. They purchased their Hollyberry home in 2021, in a neighborhood Caroline had loved since childhood and less than a mile from her parents.

Caroline describes Roswell as a “small big town.” There is plenty going on, but familiar faces and people looking out for one another still make it feel like a close-knit community.

“I just love the community. I love how everyone looks out for each other,” she shared.

Roswell is also where Caroline has built her career. Now in her 11th year as an educator, she teaches third grade at Vickery Mill Elementary, where she was previously recognized as Teacher of the Year.

After an extraordinarily difficult year for her family, Caroline wanted the comfort and normalcy of being back in the classroom and doing what she loves.

“I just needed some normalcy for me this year,” she shared. “I just wanted to be back where I was serving kids.”

Caroline describes Vickery Mill as a “safe space,” a place where she loves the students, administration and people around her. Over the past year, that school community has been there for her well beyond the classroom.

An Unexpected Year

Last August, life changed dramatically for the Oxford family when Chris developed necrotizing pancreatitis and became critically ill. His condition became life-threatening, with complications including sepsis and compartment syndrome. At one point, doctors told Caroline to prepare to say goodbye.

Chris spent over a month in the ICU and required ECMO before beginning a long recovery that included learning to walk again and additional hospitalizations over the following year. During that same time, Caroline was navigating additional health challenges within her extended family while caring for their young son, continuing her career and supporting Chris through his recovery.

Caroline is especially grateful for the team at Wellstar Kennestone who cared for Chris during his most critical moments. Some of his doctors still check in with the family more than a year later.

“They are just the most amazing people,” Caroline shared.

A Community That Showed Up

When Caroline talks about the past year, she talks often about the people who were there for their family.

Her parents and Chris’s family rallied around them, along with close friends Holly, Chris Bailey and Shantiana Keys, who Caroline says have been there “through it all.” Chris’s best friend, Zane, has also been a constant source of support throughout his recovery.

Their next-door neighbors had moved in only a few months before Chris became sick. It didn’t take long for them to become people Caroline could call when an unexpected hospital trip meant she needed someone to care for her son.

Her Vickery Mill family has rallied around her, too, along with Suwanee Prep Academy of Alpharetta, Cooper’s daycare. Caroline spoke especially warmly about director Kenyatta Richardson, who has stepped in to care for Cooper when Caroline needed to be with Chris.

The daycare, Caroline said, “has really been nothing but a blessing to us.”

Now, It’s Caroline’s Turn

When nominations opened for the 2026 Home Refresh, Chris submitted Caroline’s name.

In his nomination, he wrote about watching his wife continue to show up as a mom, wife, daughter and educator through a year that asked so much of her.

“Caroline has spent her life pouring into others,” Chris wrote. “Now it’s her turn.”

Chris’s nomination truly moved us, and with a little help from the principal and staff at Vickery Mill Elementary, we were able to surprise Caroline at school last month with the news that she had been chosen as our 2026 Home Refresh recipient. She had no idea Chris had nominated her, and her reaction was complete shock.

We also surprised her with a beautiful arrangement from Stems on the Move, who helped us make the moment a little more special.

When we later asked what was going through her mind that day, her answer came back to Roswell and the people around her.

“This is why I live here,” she said. “There are still good people here. There are still good people in this world.”

Bringing the Home Refresh Home

The past year has also changed Caroline’s perspective on what matters most.

“I need to cherish every day because you don’t know if the next day is promised or not,” she shared.

For Caroline, that means living life to the fullest, leaning on the people she loves and appreciating the time she has with her family.

Over the next several weeks, projects that understandably took a back seat over the past year will get some attention, made possible by members of our community who volunteer their time, donate materials and share their services to make the Home Refresh possible.

You can be part of Caroline’s Home Refresh, too. Join us at Deep Roots Wine Market & Tasting Room on Tuesday, October 20th for Wine-O Bingo, where a portion of ticket sales will benefit Caroline’s 2026 Home Refresh. Come enjoy a fun evening while helping us bring this year’s project to life.

You can purchase Wine-O Bingo tickets at CurtinTeam.com/bingo

If you'd like to get involved, send us an email at info@curtinteam.com

Curtin Team Cares is a certified 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.