Author: Sarah Reid

American National Bank & Trust: Investing in the Community

Posted on January 25, 2022

American National Bank & Trust prioritizes making a difference in the communities it serves. Guided by this philosophy, the bank became a Bringing Hope Home sponsor this year.

Eddie Martin, American National Bank’s Chief Administrative Officer, explains the bank’s decision to support TAP this way: “As we consider the impact of our corporate donations, prioritization is given to health and human service organizations, financial education, and affordable housing initiatives.”

Mr. Martin continues, “We were struck by TAP’s passion for helping all individuals and families achieve a better quality of life in the communities we both serve.”

Just like TAP, American National Bank has been serving communities in southwestern Virginia for decades. Founded in 1909 in Danville, Virginia, the bank added a Roanoke branch in 2015. The bank now serves both Virginia and North Carolina with 26 branches.

Financial literacy is financial empowerment

American National Bank strengthens the communities it serves by investing in financial education initiatives. Their Bringing Hope Home sponsorship ultimately supported the TAP Tax Clinic. This program, now entering its 20^th year, provides free tax preparation and filing services to low-income families. Tax Clinic customers not only get their taxes filed for free but are urged to use their refunds to pay off debt or build their savings. Such practices help build financial stability.

Outside of their sponsorship of TAP, American National Bank has also partnered with Banzai and United Way of Roanoke Valley’s Bank On program. Banzai provides free online financial literacy courses to both students and adults. United Way of Roanoke Valley’s Bank On partnership, which TAP is also a member of, provides everything from financial education and counseling to affordable banking opportunities.

“We believe it is our responsibility as a community bank and local business to take a leading role in strengthening our communities,” states Carolyn Kiser, American National’s Director of Marketing and Community Affairs. “Whether that’s helping a customer manage their finances, providing a loan to help a business succeed, or providing a financial donation, we value any opportunity to help our customers and communities thrive.”

Ms. Kiser continues, “By partnering with programs like Bank On Roanoke Valley, Banzai, and others, we hope to reach those both outside of the banking system and within it to ultimately offer resources that can help anyone with their financial well-being.”

To learn more about American National Bank, you can visit their website.

The Tax Clinic Goes Virtual

Posted on January 20, 2022

The TAP Tax Clinic provides free tax preparation and filing for low-income taxpayers. As the program enters its 20^th year, it continues to evolve in order to meet the needs of customers. Most recently, the Tax Clinic began to offer a virtual filing option to make traditionally in-person services accessible to all in the wake of COVID-19.

Teffany Henderson pioneered the program and continues to oversee it to this day. She reflects, “Before the start of the 2021 tax season, we had no idea how we were going to operate.” Roanoke had just seen a surge in coronavirus cases after the winter holidays. Tax Clinic volunteers—who are vital to organizing and filing returns quickly—felt unsafe meeting with customers in person.

“That’s why I applied for us to participate with GetYourRefund,” Teffany says. “Because I knew it was important for us to offer the program no matter what.”

Simple, easy, and accessible

GetYourRefund is an IRS-approved service that was born out of the pandemic. They provide virtual tax preparation and filing by connecting clients with programs such as the TAP Tax Clinic. Through their secure online portal, taxpayers can make an account and quickly begin the tax-filing process. They can easily photograph and upload documents using a cell phone or tablet and verify their identity with a selfie. It makes filing taxes accessible to anyone with an internet connection.

Last tax season was the Tax Clinic’s first year partnering with GetYourRefund, and the partnership will continue for the 2022 season. “Our clients found virtual filing to be much easier than expected,” explains Teffany. “And those who work full-time or don’t have transportation loved how they could get their taxes filed from home.”

You can enter tax documents into the GetYourRefund portal at any time, day or night. Once you make an account with GetYourRefund and upload your documents to the TAP-specific link, the Tax Clinic will receive your information and begin your return. Though virtual filing does not include the traditional in-person appointment with TAP Tax Site Coordinators, they still communicate regularly with you while preparing your return and always have your best interest in mind.

More money in your pocket

This year, Teffany stresses the importance of waiting to have all your documents before you file.

“If you received the Advance Child Tax Credit, meaning that you received payments beginning in July of 2021, you’re going to get a letter 6419 that has the amount you received and that form must be included with your tax return,” says Teffany. “The Tax Clinic can’t amend taxes, so if a customer files without all necessary documents, they have to pay someone to amend their tax return.”

It’s also important to wait to receive letter 6475 from the IRS to prevent a delay in receiving your refund. Letter 6475 is the Economic Impact Payment (aka, the third roll-out of stimulus checks) received in the beginning of 2021. This must be recorded in your tax return.

Tax laws change frequently. Being unaware of those changes could mean missing opportunities to increase your refund. Tax Clinic staff and volunteers are well-versed in the latest changes. As the Tax Clinic enters its 20^th year, they are more prepared than ever to maximize taxpayers’ refunds and ensure nothing slips through the cracks.

To begin your virtual tax filing process, visit www.getyourrefund.org/tap.

Op-Ed: IMAGINE THE VALLEY WITHOUT TAP by Craig Balzer

Posted on January 20, 2022

Originally published in The Roanoke Times on January 13, 2022. Re-posted here with permission.

2022 marks the 57^th year of Total Action for Progress’ existence.

During the holiday season, many of us enjoyed the rerun of the Hollywood classic It’s A Wonderful Life, the story of a local banker deterred from suicide by an angel who offers him visions of what life for his friends, family, and community would have been like without his existence.

That made us think: what would life in our area be like without TAP?

Many don’t know how extensive TAP’s work is and might assume there would be little difference in our communities today without its influence. In so many ways, even after 57 years, TAP remains one of the best untold stories in the Roanoke Valley and beyond—a story best known by those whose lives it has impacted.

Think of this: if TAP had not been here for the past 57 years, who would have:

• reached out annually to more than 5,000 low-income people to help them toward self-sufficiency through education and employment, housing, financial services, domestic violence prevention and assistance, and family services?
• Who would have provided a Head Start experience for more than 32,565 children?
• Who would have helped 10,308 youth and adults to secure jobs?
• Who would have provided remedial education opportunities for 7,505 youth and adults who had dropped out of school?
• Who would have filed more than 3,500 tax returns free for low-income Virginians, helping them claim over $2.6 million in Earned-Income Tax Credits, if not for the TAP Tax Clinic?
• Who would have kept over 8,000 families warm through weatherization services?
• Who would have boosted Roanoke’s economy by providing close to 200 entrepreneurs with loans to start new local businesses?

Who would have had the capacity to start Legal Aid, the League of Older Americans (now the Local Office on Aging), RADAR, Southwest Virginia Second Harvest Food Bank (now Feeding Southwest Virginia), Project Discovery, Virginia CARES, and CHIP? Who would have worked with the Northwest Neighborhood Improvement Council to start the Harrison Museum of African American Culture?

More recently, who would have partnered with the Health Department and local neighborhood organizations to host local vaccination clinics, providing first-dose and booster shots to Roanoke citizens right in their neighborhoods? Or partnered with state and local governments to provide more than 1,400 individuals in 450 households with rent relief services when the pandemic affected their income?

Living in this area for most of us is a wonderful life. That wonderful life has in no small way been the result of TAP’s dedication to serving the community throughout the last 57 years.

But we can’t do it alone. Grants serve as the core of TAP’s funding, but there are certain expenses they can’t cover—that’s where you come in. Funds raised through TAP’s annual Bringing Hope Home campaign help fill these gaps and directly support life-changing programs for individuals in this community.

This is our time to invest in our community’s greatest asset—our people—to continue making our region stronger. With just a small donation you can support TAP to make sure we are around for another 57 years.

Empowering Youth

Posted on December 13, 2021

Trifecta, Inc. Teams up with TAP

Each year TAP’s youth programs help dozens of youth to go to college and assist many more to find career paths and join the workforce. In the process, we also help them to develop as people. This past summer we teamed up with Trifecta, Inc., an exciting local organization that works with youth across the state. Trifecta brought youth empowerment programming to TAP’s students and had a lasting impact on the young people in our community.

TAP: What kind of work does Trifecta do in the community?

Natasha Saunders: We curate programming and special events with the intent to develop folks in our community. We are a minority, women-led, youth empowerment organization. Everything we do is with the intent of giving back to the community, whether that’s adopting a classroom or providing scholarships to folks that are going into college, or doing career readiness. We want to pour into our youth and be a bridge and a light in a way that we may not have felt was there when we were growing up in Roanoke.

TAP: What kinds of activities do you do with students, including the TAP students?

Natasha Saunders: We have a curriculum that covers everything from paint parties to vision parties, creating vision boards, doing affirmation activities, and design contests. We do elevator pitches, college readiness, and how to advocate yourself; we do a lot of things that are to holistically develop yourself as a person. We’ve done workshops on the history of Virginia with minority leaders. We’ve had a really fun time designing all these programs. We do design based on need, but we have about 20 workshops that are already ready… We’ve probably done 50 workshops throughout the state of Virginia in just the last nine months.

Students Learn Self-Presentation

TAP: Some of the students in our program at TAP are coming from very hard life circumstances. Can you recall any lightbulb moments? Did you see a change in the TAP youth or see something click for them?

Robyn Mitchell: We had some students who may have not wanted to participate or might have thought a project was not cool. But by the end of it, they had fully engaged and were learning the importance of being collaborative.

We let our students know that everywhere you go, you are a walking brand. How you present yourself in a situation—people will remember that. Even after the [sessions with TAP students] have ended, [we’ve run] into these students in the community at a football game and they come up and say, “How are you doing, Miss Robyn?” They’re not using the slang, they’re presenting themselves as they want to be seen, they’re giving respect and they want to be respected in return.

That was a big moment for me post-program, seeing how one nugget may have stuck with someone to show up and always be a walking brand for yourself… That is an indicator that something may have clicked with the student that we’ve shared with them.

Collaborating to Reach Youth

TAP: Is there anything you think people in the community should know about Trifecta or TAP?

Robyn Mitchell: The community should know these two organizations in their own respective rights are passionate about helping to develop our young people. Both organizations focus on collaboration and how we can work together to improve our communities. One thing we’ve been thinking a lot about lately is how these things we do in our community can break those generational cycles of poverty and how we can set our youth up for success later on; I believe both organizations focus on that goal.

To learn more about Trifecta Inc. or to inquire about a workshop or event, visit www.trifectainc.org or email trifectaorg@nullgmail.com.

 

A Holistic Approach to Youth Development

Posted on December 13, 2021

We know that exposure to violence makes young people more likely to become violent themselves. So, how can we disrupt that cycle? How do we encourage students down another path? 

As it turns out, meditation helps.

“We had a student from last year who said he would have killed someone if it wasn’t for this class,” said Antonio Stovall. He is the instructor for TAP’s African American Culture and Contemporary Issues class at William Fleming High School. The class builds identity, cultural awareness, and self-empowerment among Black students at Fleming. Meditation and mindfulness techniques play a big role in the class.   

“We are noticing a big difference in how students are interacting with their community, with their classmates,” says Antonio. “They feel more grounded, they have more self-value and self-respect.”

Nature Experiences

TAP pairs this foundation of mindfulness with other experiences that encourage violence-free, productive futures. For example, we get them out into nature.

The students in Antonio’s class and in all of our youth programs often come from households or neighborhoods where they see violence or may even be involved in it. “They deal with a lot of stress, depression, and hardship,” says Antonio. By taking them out of the city to experience nature, “they get an opportunity to detach from their home situation and get back in tune with themselves.”

Brighter Futures

Athletics can also provide a fruitful platform for reaching young people. Recognizing the importance of coaches in the lives of youth, we partner with the coaches in school athletic programs to deliver messages of non-violence and violence prevention.

Djuan Hankins, a longtime basketball coach in the Roanoke community who works with our youth programs, describes how TAP tries to propel students toward a brighter future. “I ask them what their plan is in life, what kind of working career they want, what kind of opportunities they want to be able to provide for themselves after high school,” he says.

Then, TAP helps them get there. College access has long been an important theme in TAP’s youth programs: we provide disadvantaged students with everything from SAT waivers to campus tour trips. Students have described this part of their journey as opening their eyes to college and all the steps on the path to get there.

Summer Programming

Keeping students occupied in the summer with productive pursuits is also an important element of TAP’s holistic strategy. This past summer we offered programming that included fun activities like skating and bowling, as well as daily mindfulness exercises and learning experiences including a STEM workshop from Virginia Tech. Another highlight was a series of four workshops taught by Trifecta, Inc., a youth empowerment organization. These workshops provided opportunities for artistic self-expression, including poetry and painting.

At the end of the summer, the students asked excitedly when TAP’s next activity would be. It’s no wonder that this fall, when classes started at William Fleming, we were overrun with students wanting to take the African American Culture and Contemporary Issues class.

“Now we’re seeing they’re more focused on the [teaching] and not on their phones. They want to learn, engage, and be successful,” says Djuan. “They are learning something that will carry a long ways in life.”

Annual Report 2020–2021

Posted on November 18, 2021

“I don’t think I could have made it another year like I’d been making it the past 15 years.”

“[TAP] was a tremendous help, and the help has not ceased.”

 “I feel like I am getting my self-confidence back.”

These are the words of TAP clients featured in our most recent annual report. The report details how TAP has opened doors for families and individuals who are working hard to overcome obstacles in their own lives.

At the heart of our work is the goal to help people get out of and stay out of poverty. We offer more than 20 programs in the areas of education, employment, affordable housing, and creating safe and healthy environments for families. The annual report provides a glimpse into these programs and the life-changing results they help people in our community achieve.  

In a typical year, we serve around 5,000 people. Last year was different. Throughout the most uncertain days of the pandemic we kept our doors open, determined to continue serving the most vulnerable among us. When the year was over, we had served close to 9,000 people.

Please enjoy the inspiring stories of a few of the individuals we served among the thousands. Jane bravely sought support in the face of abuse. Kenneth received life-changing help for his dilapidated home. Ann found inner strength to complete her education.

While we celebrate their stories, we are also mindful that their victories didn’t happen in a vacuum. It takes all of us working together to support the work of community action. Thank you for your support.

Supporter Story: Ian Shaw

Posted on November 16, 2021

Dedicated donor Ian Shaw shares what makes TAP special.

Ian Shaw believes in giving back to the community. For years, he’s been a consistent and charitable donor to TAP. When asked what influences his recurring donations, Ian shares that he likes TAP’s variety of programs.

“There is a range of things that [TAP] does that can help a person be successful in life,” Ian says. “Because of the spectrum of work [TAP] does, it has a greater impact on people. I know that whatever I give to TAP will be used well.”

A Commitment to the Community

Ian invests in TAP because he sees the value of his community. While working for the City of Roanoke, he interacts with other locals on a daily basis. Moreover, having lived in Roanoke for more than 20 years, he knows what makes the city special as well as the areas in which it needs help.

 “My wife is from Roanoke originally and we’ve both lived here since ’96. We’ve been here for a while. It’s home for both of us,” Ian shares. He enjoys the walkability of the city as well as the proximity to outdoor activities. On the weekends, he and his family enjoy hiking Tinker Cliffs or paddling on the Roanoke River.

“But Roanoke does have the problems of a city as far as the income disparities and equity issues,” Ian continues. “Being here for a long time, it is important for me to address these things and make sure everyone has the same opportunities.”

Ian encourages others to invest in the Roanoke community as well. “If everyone was a little bit generous,” he shares, “that would go a long way to solve a lot of our problems in the world.”

One time or recurring donations to TAP can be made by visiting: https://tapintohope.org/support-us/donate/

2021 Cabell Brand Hope Award Recipient: Nancy Agee

Posted on October 26, 2021

We are happy to announce the winner of the 2021 Cabell Brand Hope Award! This year the award was presented to Nancy Howell Agee, President & CEO of Carilion Clinic. We congratulate her and thank her for her dedication to the communities in southwest Virginia.

Nancy is President and Chief Executive Officer of Carilion Clinic. Before becoming CEO in 2011, Ms. Agee served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. During her tenure as COO, she co-led Carilion’s reorganization from a collection of hospitals to a fully-integrated, physician-led clinic. The reorganization resulted in a partnership with Virginia Tech to create an allopathic medical school and research institute.

Ms. Agee is a nationally recognized leader in healthcare and immediate past chair of the American Hospital Association (a membership organization representing the nation’s 5,000 hospitals). She has been perennially named one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare as well as the Top 25 Women in Healthcare. Ms. Agee is a former member of the Board of Commissioners for the Joint Commission (international hospital accreditation organization) and past chair of the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association and the Virginia Center for Health Innovation.

Past Cabell Brand Hope Award recipients

• 2020 Cabell Brand Hope Award Recipient: Ted Edlich
• TAP Presents 2019 Cabell Brand Hope Award to Reverend Dr. Kathy O’Keeffe
• Dr. Brenda Louise Hale honored with the 2018 Cabell Brand Hope Award

Supporter Story: Mary Ann McAden & Beth Macher

Posted on September 28, 2021

Dynamic duo Mary Ann and Beth provide essential donations to our Domestic Violence Services.

It all began when Mary Ann donated all the furniture from a condo she was selling. She’d reached out to TAP after hearing about our Domestic Violence Services from a family member. Though she knew how useful DVS’ services were, she had no idea just how big the need was.

Domestic Violence and the Pandemic

The pandemic led to a rise in domestic violence rates as victims were often stuck at home with their abusers. High rates of unemployment and the resulting stress took the situation from bad to worse. DVS was getting more calls than ever.

DVS works to rehouse individuals and families affected by domestic violence. Victims often can’t bring many belongings when they leave their abusive situation, so DVS also helps to provide them with furniture and other household necessities.

Rallying the Community

Once Mary Ann was aware of the need, she called her friend Beth and they hit the ground running. “Because of the pandemic, everyone was stuck at home,” Mary Ann recalls. With their free time, they began decluttering. “We told everyone we knew that we were taking donations for domestic violence survivors,” she says. “It first began with our donations, but now several different people will drop off items at our front porch each week.”

People need more than just furniture. “I ask people to bring old toys their kids have grown out of,” says Beth. Mary Ann asks people to donate picture frames. Goods like toys, craft supplies, and picture frames can be integral to making a family’s new house a home and keeping them from returning to an abuser.

“People can have a new beginning.”

Mary Ann and Beth’s efforts have truly changed lives. Between them, they have helped rehouse more than 30 families with the donations they have collected.

With a new home and furniture, domestic violence survivors can begin to heal from their abuse. “People can have a new beginning,” Beth says.

Two Myths about Volunteering at the TAP Tax Clinic

Posted on August 20, 2021

TAP Tax Clinic

Each year at TAP, we file over 1,000 free tax returns for low-income residents of Roanoke. This work relies on the help of volunteers. Here are the two biggest myths about volunteering at the Tax Clinic—and why they shouldn’t stop anyone from helping out.

Myth #1: I don’t know enough about tax return preparation

Most people don’t—at first. Many of our volunteers begin with no prior experience in tax return preparation. As a result, volunteers are trained through Link & Learn Taxes, an online program used by the IRS. In addition, our tax site coordinator provides personal training to ensure you’re confident in your knowledge.

Sherman Witcher, a Virginia Western student and 2019 Tax Clinic volunteer, said “knowing almost nothing about tax return preparation, it was somewhat intimidating to dive in headfirst, but the IRS training modules are tailored to people who have little to no background.”

Likewise, Sofiia Melnyk also began volunteering with no experience. Melnyk moved from Ukraine in 2016, and did not know how the US filing process worked. She decided to volunteer to get accounting experience. After her training, she helped over 100 families file tax returns.

Each year, volunteers get the training they need to help our clients. All together, we help over 1,000 people file their tax returns without a single rejection.

Myth #2: I don’t have enough time

Schedules today are packed with work, making dinner, or soccer practice. Due to this, the TAP Tax Clinic offers an online training program. Link & Learn Taxes is self-paced, meaning you can complete it as you find time in your day.

“With the online modules,” Witcher said, “I could easily study the material without having to drive 40 minutes from Franklin County.”

Once the training is complete, you can offer as much time as you want to the Tax Clinic. “I was able to build my own schedule that worked with my college classes,” said Melnyk. Every bit helps. The Tax Clinic is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every weekday, and runs from February 1 to April 15. We welcome any hours you can help.

Facts about Being a Tax Clinic Volunteer

Research shows that volunteering has many benefits. Here are a few that volunteering at the Tax Clinic offers:

Fact #1: Help your community

This one’s obvious. The TAP Tax Clinic offers free tax preparation for low-income Virginians. Without the tax clinic, these clients may miss out on important credits or spend a majority of their refund on a paid service. While volunteering, Melnyk assisted a client who was overjoyed after discovering that she didn’t owe thousands in taxes, but in fact would be receiving a refund. “There were so many people who made me feel that my volunteering time truly mattered,” Melnyk said. “It was a rewarding experience.”

Fact #2: Connect with people & feel better

Volunteering is proven to lower feelings of loneliness. Beyond that, a study by Indiana University’s School of Philanthropy found that volunteering lowered stress, reduced feelings of depression, and elevated mood. In fact, the study found that volunteers spend 38% fewer nights in the hospital.

Fact #3: Build your resume, or put your skills to work

Volunteering at the TAP Tax Clinic will give you new skills and hone your knowledge of tax law. Professionals can earn licensing credits to boost their careers. Students like Melnyk and Witcher can get résumé-building experience. Specifically, those studying business, accounting, or finance can get out of the classroom and learn in a hands-on fashion. Depending on their program, students can even earn course credit from volunteering.

Further, Witcher found that his volunteer time at the Tax Clinic made his résumé stand out. “I think that students should seek to distinguish themselves from their peers, and TAP is a great outlet for doing so,” he said.

Sign Up to Volunteer or Find Out More

The deadline for volunteer sign up is January 5, 2022. Group training will begin in October 2021.

To get involved, please contact Teffany Henderson at 540-283-4916 or teffany.henderson@nulltapintohope.org.

To learn more about the TAP Tax Clinic here.

Help Keep Families Safe with Plumbing Rehabilitation

Posted on August 19, 2021

Our Indoor Plumbing Rehabilitation (IPR) program helps to ensure families have safe drinking water, eliminates hazardous outhouse trips, and more. However, due to the pandemic, project material costs have skyrocketed. Without donations from supporters like you, IPR will not only have to turn down people who ask for help, it will have to drop some projects it has already started.

Today, most of us take indoor toilets, showers, and running water for granted. These basic necessities are not only convenient, they’re essential for safety—but not everyone in our community has them. 

Same Funding, Increasing Need

Since the pandemic began, IPR has received even more requests for help than usual. However, state and federal funding haven’t increased, while the cost of materials like lumber has risen sharply. “It’s been a struggle trying to get these projects up off the ground,” IPR program manager Liz Puckett says.

IPR does its best to keep costs low. However, it often has to install new septic systems, drill new wells, or even rebuild badly damaged houses. 

A New Home

Willie Bell Ray benefited from IPR only because generous family members pitched in to fill gaps in the program’s funding. 

Willie Bell, who is in her 70s, lived with her disabled son in a 50-year-old trailer. The trailer had no indoor plumbing. To avoid the hazard of walking down the hill to use the outhouse at night, she and her son used five-gallon buckets instead. They also had to carry water up from their well to cook and wash dishes.

The trailer was so damaged that it needed to be fully replaced. However, IPR nearly had to turn Willie Bell down because material costs vastly outgrew the program’s budget. They were only able to continue with the project because Willie Bell’s family supplied a new trailer. Now, she and her son have running water, a shower, and a toilet. 

Will you help?

Not everyone is as lucky as Willie Bell to have a family support system. IPR has been unable to move forward with two projects this year because they exceeded budget. Both houses belong to families with children, including one with a child under five years old. “It hurts me to my heart that I can’t help them,” Liz says. 

Your donations will help ensure that IPR is able to make homes safer for the families that live there. Can we count on you?

To donate, please visit this page. Don’t forget to write a note that you want your donation to support Indoor Plumbing Rehabilitation!

Supporter Story: Network Computing Group

Posted on July 29, 2021

Mark Bowles first heard of TAP around the time he founded Network Computing Group in 1994. He worked with TAP occasionally, and in 2014 NCG became TAP’s main IT provider. Over the past seven years Mark has gotten a much closer look at our work, and NCG and its employees have become some of our most consistent supporters.

What Stands Out

Mark has met the heads and staff of several different TAP programs. He feels like he’s always learning something new, but one thing remains consistent across the agency: teamwork. “Everybody seems to be rowing in the same direction,” he says. “They all have the same purpose and passion for what they do, and that always impresses me.”

He also says TAP stands out for the breadth of our services and the wide variety of people we help. In fact, his wife told him that her mother, a single parent, had relied on a TAP childcare center while she went to work.

“Everybody has a cause that’s important to them, whatever their passion is, and for me it seems like TAP touches most of those.” He’s been amazed to learn that several other nonprofits in the Roanoke Valley, including CHIP and RADAR, began as part of TAP.

How Donations Multiply

Mark says that just as NCG gains companies’ trust by taking care of their IT needs, TAP has gained NCG’s trust through its effective use of charity dollars. It’s hard to decide what groups to donate to, but Mark says both he and his employees feel that TAP is uniquely positioned to make donations go a long way toward helping the community.

Mark wants the community to know that donations to TAP multiply. Not only does every donated dollar help us leverage $52 in state and federal funds, it also helps us touch many more lives than just those of people directly involved. “When you help one person, you’re not just helping that person,” he says, “but the fifteen people that they help, and the hundred that those fifteen people help.”

The main takeaway from his close look at the agency over the years? “It’s almost unfair that others don’t get to understand all the stuff that TAP does,” he says.