Category: News

Celebrating 55 Years of Service

Posted on August 11, 2020

This year we are celebrating 55 years of service in our community. Over the decades, we have been committed to providing programs to help individuals and families achieve economic and personal independence through education, employment, affordable housing, and safe and healthy environments. This year’s unprecedented challenges have reinforced our calling: to create spaces that foster hope and allow equal participation in our society.

In 1964, the Economic Opportunity Act came to fruition through the leadership of President Lyndon Johnson. This important federal act was created to help the poor overcome generational poverty by providing important services like education, job training, and healthcare.

Cabell Brand, our founder and first chairperson of TAP, was passionate about creating meaningful, lasting change. Within a few months of the Act passing, Brand had managed to create the first official anti-poverty agency in the Roanoke area on April 28, 1965.

On our 55th anniversary, we recommit ourselves to that work, and ask you to join us, knowing its importance will only grow as we face our future as a community and a nation.

A Word from Annette Lewis, President & CEO of TAP

“TAP is proud of its 55-year history of being a leader in addressing the needs of those who have struggled to find hope in the midst of limited resources, skills, or opportunities,” stated Lewis. “These are challenging times for our country. Let us stand for justice, equality, and equity for those most vulnerable members of our community.”

From Sherman Lea, Mayor of the City of Roanoke

“As a former board chairman of TAP, I know the agency’s history and what important work they do for those less fortunate in all our communities,” stated Mayor Lea. “Join me and other mayors, chairs of boards of supervisors, council members, and board of supervisors in the jurisdictions they serve, to say congratulations on TAP’s 55^th anniversary. Thank you for being such an important community partner.” 

A look at the impact of TAP programs in the 2019 program year

• TAP served close to 5,000 individuals in 4,743 households
• 254 families received safety-related repairs to their homes
• 976 individuals took advantage of free tax prep services
• 107 families were kept safe by providing safe exchange and supervised visitation
• 1,057 domestic violence crisis hotline calls were answered
• 6 businesses were started or expanded
• 100% of TAP Youth Employment Program students (most who have been court-involved) graduated the program and obtained employment
• 95% of veterans served obtained safe and stable housing
  

TAP’s Service Area

We are the designated community action agency for 11 jurisdictions in southwest Virginia, including the cities of Roanoke, Salem, Covington, Lexington and Buena Vista and counties of Roanoke, Alleghany, Bath, Botetourt, Craig, and Rockbridge.

The financial and community support of these jurisdictions—as well as individual and corporate donors and volunteers—have been critical to the success of TAP.

Below are additional comments from representatives of the 11 jurisdictions that we serve in southwest Virginia, as well as a brief history of some of the programs that have been impacted by TAP.

Celebrating 55 years of service in the jurisdictions we serve

City of Salem, Mayor Renée F. Turk  

“The City of Salem is very proud of our long-standing relationship with TAP and we want to congratulate them on such a terrific achievement.  The work they do with individuals and families is so important, especially in these challenging times.  On behalf of our residents who have benefited from their programs, thank you and continue the great work.” 

City of Covington, Mayor Tom Sibold

“The City of Covington is proud to have a TAP office within our city limits.  This allows our local residents the opportunity to use the various TAP services on a more regular basis.  As a TAP board member, I am delighted to be associated with an agency that goes above and beyond in helping those who find themselves in need of help. Congratulations on your 55^th anniversary.”

City of Lexington, Mayor Frank W. Friedman

“Congratulations TAP on 55 years of dedicated, supportive, collaborative work with our community and our Valley!  Thank you for supporting individuals and communities to provide resources and support to be successful today and creating a sound foundation for tomorrow. Your tireless commitment is inspirational.”

City of Buena Vista, Mayor William “Billy” Fitzgerald

“On behalf of the City of Buena Vista, I would like to congratulate TAP on their 55^th anniversary.  As one of the leading Community Action agencies in the State, TAP has been instrumental in helping many in our community through programs that focus on early child development, housing counseling and repair. Again, thank you for all you do for our community.” 

Alleghany County –  G. Matt Garten, Chairman, Board of Supervisors

“TAP believes in helping individuals and families achieve independence. We have seen the results here in Alleghany County and on behalf of our Board of Supervisors, I want to praise them for their efforts in standing with us to help those in need.”

Bath County – Edward T. Hicklin, Chair, Board of Supervisors

“TAP should be commended on their 55-year history of helping Virginians improve their lives.   In Bath County they have made a positive difference in the lives of so many of our residents and we want to thank them for their hard work.”

Botetourt County – Billy W. Martin, Chairman, Board of Supervisors

“Congratulations TAP on your 55-year history as a Community Action Agency. As a TAP Board member for twelve years and the Chair of the Botetourt County Board of Supervisors, I have seen firsthand the results of the Agency’s commitment and dedication to those who need it most. Thank you TAP for caring.”

Craig County –  Jesse Spence, Chair, Board of Supervisors

“Craig County is happy to have TAP as one of our community partners.  The work they do with individuals and families is so important and many of our residents have benefited from it. Congratulations on this important milestone.” 

Roanoke County – David F. Radford, Chairman, Board of Supervisors

“Roanoke County has partnered with TAP on various programs over the years and we want to congratulate them on such a terrific milestone. They are committed to their mission of achieving economic and personal independence for those in our community who need a helping hand to overcome their problems and improve their lives.”

Rockbridge County – Daniel E. Lyons, Chairman, Board of Supervisors

“As a community action agency, TAP has become a shining example of what service means in our communities.  They provide hope and inspiration to individuals and families who are underserved and living in poverty.  TAP also serves some of our most vulnerable, like children and veterans. Congratulations on your 55^th anniversary and thank you for all you do.”

TAP has a long history of creating or expanding programs in response to community needs.

Some of these efforts include:

Click here to find out more about TAP.

Support for Working Parents

Posted on July 28, 2020

Support for working parents through TAP Adult Education Programs

Sometimes all it takes to change your life is having the right people in your corner. For two young mothers in our Adult Education program those right people were TAP career mentors—and each other.

Our Adult Education program works by removing some of the common barriers parents face when looking for well-paying jobs, including lack of access to job training and high-quality childcare. The program offers paths to industry-recognized job certifications in the high-demand fields of health care, information technology, and manufacturing, as well as access to childcare and other supports, including individualized mentorship.

It takes a village of support

For participants Brianna and Kayla, that mentorship was a game-changer. “Our mentor Ms. Angela is so different. She stands for our work. She’ll pray with you. She cried plenty of times with us. She was like a mother figure, she took in our babies and she took us in as if we were her own. She didn’t tell you what you wanted to hear, she told you what you needed to hear. And a lot of people needed that. I honestly think that our class got through because of Ms. Angela,” said Brianna. Kayla added, “She has always been encouraging. She’s never not been there for us, anything we needed.”

TAP did more than connect Brianna and Kayla to a career mentor—it connected them to each other, helping them to expand the support networks that are crucial to working parents. “We prayed with each other, we cried with each other. We have encouraged each other. We stayed up late studying with each other and stayed up late with each other’s kids. It’s more than just a friendship and a coworking‐type deal,” said Brianna.

Brighter Days Ahead

Having graduated from the program, Brianna and Kayla can now support themselves and their children with jobs that they’re proud of—they even get to work together at the same medical practice. “I can actually now say that I have a career that I enjoy doing,” Kayla explained. “I have two children that need me, so it’s been great to be in the program. Before the program, I didn’t want to go to work because first, I was away from my children, and second, the pay that I was getting, I thought, what am I doing this for? Now I love my job, I really do.”

Learn more about our Adult Education and Employment programs and find out how this program provides support for working parents.

A Community Conversation on Racism and Inequality

Posted on July 1, 2020

Last month, the United Way of Roanoke Valley and our agency hosted a panel discussion about racism and inequality. Watch the live recording on our Facebook page….CLICK HERE TO WATCH.

Actions speak louder than words. Sparking action, however, often starts by expressing our ideals in words. (“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…”)

Racism and inequality are deeply ingrained in modern life—holding a commitment to justice and equality demands action to uphold our stated ideals. That’s why, in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis, we and United Way of Roanoke Valley (UWRV) decided to start with an honest conversation.

On Monday, June 15, we hosted a panel discussion on racism and inequality for human services leaders geared toward practical next action steps. Panel guests represented a broad cross-section of expertise from the region, including:

• Dr. Nathaniel Bishop, senior vice president for administration at Carilion Clinic
• Dr. Deneen Evans, tenured associate professor of social work at Radford University
• Mr. Ray Bemis, a 30-year veteran of prevention and wellness work at Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare and founding member of Points of Diversity
• Dr. Bush Kavuru, MD, associate professor of psychiatry at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine
• Dr. Tracey Criss, MD, associate dean for clinical science at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and vice president of medical staff affairs at Carilion.

A panel discussion, of course, isn’t an answer. However, it’s a start. It’s the kind of moment every generation has had to face—and we hope you will join us in meeting the moment with the thoughtfulness, determination, and above all else, hope, that our future requires of us.

A personal message from Annette Lewis, TAP President & CEO

Posted on June 1, 2020

TAP Family:

The tragic death of George Floyd has shaken our nation. Unfortunately, it is not the first incident in recent weeks and months that has resulted in a sentence of death for African Americans who were convicted without a fair and just trial. Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor are two others that we “know of” in recent weeks that were unjustly killed.

Honestly, as a black woman with a black husband, four black brothers, a black son, and three black grandsons, I fear mistaken identity or unfair treatment of them if stopped by the wrong person in the wrong community. This should not be.

The tragedy of what is displayed before our very eyes is simply what has come to the surface of an age old ill that exists in our society—the ill of racism.

One would have thought that everyone accepted and chose as a guiding principle the beautiful words penned by Thomas Jefferson in 1776 that became the Declaration of Independence:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

However, it is clear that the Declaration of Independence did not become, and is not, the principle value of all people. This was evident in the inhumane treatment of people during slavery, and in the Jim Crow laws that sought to disenfranchise people of color and maintain segregation of schools, transportation, and public facilities. It took boycotts, sit-ins, and marches—including the bloody March to Selma—to bring attention to the fact that not everyone believed that “all” are created equal.

Inhumane treatment and Jim Crow laws led to extreme poverty across our country. As a result, President Lyndon Johnson signed into law the Civil Rights and Economic Opportunity Acts of 1964. He wanted a better society. He knew that mistreatment of any people was going to lead to more pain and suffering. Along with good-hearted men and women of different races, backgrounds, and political persuasions, he desired to replace injustice with justice; inequality with equality; and inequity with fairness.

It was out of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 that community action agencies were born. TAP was formed in 1965. As is the nature of community action, we mourn the death of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, and stand with those who stand against injustice, inequality, and inequity.

We stand against violence of any kind. We are all equal and should be treated as such.

TAP doesn’t stand alone—we have partners across the state who stand with us. There are agencies, board members, committees, and individuals of all races, creeds, and backgrounds that strive for equality and justice. There are police officers, like those who provide security for places like TAP Sabrina’s Place, who are devoted to protecting the safety of all citizens and feel the pain that we feel today.

Things you can do to help affect change

Perhaps you are wondering what you can do to learn and bring about real change—not just in words, but real acts that lead to change. I am proud of my daughter, Patrice Lewis, Esq., who penned the following list of suggestions of how we can move forward toward a better society.

1. Join an organization or donate to an organization that is actively addressing systemic racial issues.
2. Volunteer your time/resources to addressing these issues.
3. Read literature that addresses systemic racism and its effects on our current day lives and share what you learn with friends and family.
4. Check your friends and family members who continue to use racist and supremacist rhetoric. You can do it in a loving manner, but let them know you are uncomfortable and will not tolerate it.
5. Vote and challenge candidates, making sure they address issues regarding supremacy and racism.
6. Donate to a campaign that aligns with viewpoints that address supremacy and racism.
7. Hold local officials accountable for their current actions and ways they are contributing to the narrative.
8. Talk to your children about racism and supremacy.
9. Boldly denounce racism and supremacy. Not just quietly, outwardly and publicly.
10. Run for office or become a lobbyist/lawyer to help affect change. Use your position to honestly address these situations.
11. Join a citizen advisory council or other board to make sure that they are operating in ways that address supremacy and racism.
12. Challenge and hold your employers/employees (church leaders, etc.) accountable for their language, their ideals, and their systems.
13. Develop real friendships with members of historically underrepresented groups.
14. Be the change, start to evaluate how you contribute to the narrative and work on yourself.

Let’s begin where we are, and be the change that we want to see.

Annette Lewis
TAP President & CEO

Fathers First Mentoring

Posted on May 29, 2020

Editor’s note: the subject’s name has been changed at his request to protect his privacy.

Mark’s journey to becoming a role model and mentor to other fathers was unconventional. In fact, he only learned of his young daughter after she’d already been placed in foster care.  Upon his discovery, Mark immediately began the uphill battle to gain custody of her. Our Fathers First program was there to help him navigate his newfound parenthood.

“I felt like I was wrestling an octopus because I had all kinds of new constraints on my time and new things to do and I wasn’t getting any guidance from anybody,” Mark recalls. “[Fathers First] gave me some hope and insight and some macro knowledge of what I would be looking at.”

Fathers First Classes

Mark liked that Fathers First parenting classes included people from all walks of life, and that there was a sense of camaraderie in the class. In addition, it helped him that Fathers First didn’t just talk about one age group of children, but covered every aspect and every area of parenting. “The nuts and bolts [about parenting] I’ve been able to cobble together but early on [Fathers First] was really huge for me,” he says.

Mark recalls having a Department of Social Services home inspection during the time he was taking the Fathers First class. “Up to a few hours before they were coming out I was still putting finishing touches on the house. I was going from being a bachelor to a single father and I had never given much thought to decoration. That was really hard to pull that together on top of everything else. [Fathers First] was really good about working with me and understanding that I had a lot of challenges.”

Giving Back

These days, Mark has full custody of his daughter and is busy taking care of her and also giving back by mentoring other fathers. While Fathers First runs classes for the general public, we also run similar classes inside local jails. Mark has volunteered as a pen pal to incarcerated fathers who are enrolled in our jail-based classes and who are eager to become positive influences in their children’s lives. With a master’s degree in creative writing, Mark has always worked on his communication skills and was happy to find a volunteer niche where he could put them to use. Right now he is exchanging letters with three incarcerated fathers.

Mark has found the key to mentoring incarcerated fathers is to be open-minded and non-judgmental. He credits his own broad life experience with helping him to accept incarcerated fathers where they are. Mostly, he finds they feel guilty about missing time from their children’s lives. “I try to encourage them not to focus on that but to focus on what they can do going forward,” he says. “Their children need them and need their input.”

To support Fathers First and the work that we’re doing in the lives of fathers like Mark, please visit https://tapintohope.org/support-us/ and learn about making a financial contribution to TAP or becoming a volunteer.

5 Tips for Parenting In Quarantine

Posted on May 27, 2020

Postive Parenting in Quarantine

Parenting is hard. Period.

It’s a marathon, not a sprint, and each step takes guts and determination—and a good plan. To be a positive role-model for your family means being your best self consistently, supporting others, and being patient, loving, and encouraging. We all need a little help so we’ve gathered five tips for parenting in quarantine.

Doing it all gracefully in the middle of the shelter-in-place orders issued in response to the spread of COVID-19 has highlighted how the task can sometimes seem impossible.

Indeed, when you’re stressed out, tired, and facing uncertainty in what seems like every direction, being that calm, patient, centering force for your growing kids isn’t just tough—it can be downright daunting.

5 Tips for Parenting In Quarantine

TAP’s Fathers First program staff members Lateefah Trent and Ed Hrinya shared their tips for how to make the best of parenting in quarantine and what things to focus on when you feel overwhelmed. Here’s their advice based on parenting lessons they’ve learned in helping hundreds of fathers over the years.

1. No Parent is Perfect

Start by reminding yourself that this is hard! A big lesson Lateefah and Ed’s work has taught them is to start where you are.

“No emotion is good or bad, positive or negative. It’s normal to feel angry, jealous, sad, frustrated, etc.” they say. “But emotions are energy. And how you express that energy can be good or bad, positive or negative.”

“When you recognize that these things are just part of being human,” Lateefah and Ed explain, “it is easier to deal with them in healthier ways.”

2. Building Good Momentum

While a global pandemic isn’t something individual parents can do much to change, they can help set the tone for the whole household by modeling behaviors that show kids how to deal with stress in an appropriate way.

Firstly, it starts with asking for help when you need it. “It’s okay to not be okay,” Lateefah and Ed urge parents to remember. “This is a stressful time for all of us. Don’t feel like you have to be Superdad or Supermom—just focus on taking care of yourself and your children, and trust that the crisis, like all storms, will blow over eventually.”

3. Looking for Little Things

However, sometimes little things have a big impact on your state of mind. For example, setting a routine helps make sure the big things get done at work or at home and makes life feels more normal. Sometimes this means showering and putting on real clothes. Sometimes it means making sure to sleep enough. Remembering to make healthy choices can also have a huge impact on your mental and physical health—and your energy to deal with chaos and crisis.

Reading, writing, or even watching a movie can help your brain rest and reset. Taking breaks where you can is part of being rested enough to be a great parent. Remembering to reward and praise your children when they do something well can also be a great reminder to reward and praise yourself.

4. What if We’re Stuck at Home?

No two ways about it, feeling stuck might come from staying inside too long—but it becomes a state of mind as much as it does a physical limitation. To change up the way things feel, even a small twist on a normal activity can make a big difference.

Movie nights feel a little more like the theater if you make a special snack. Making dinner can be a cooking contest. Books can be family activities if you read out loud together. It’s also a great time of year for gardening, tea time picnics, or just for being outside together.

5. Remembering What It’s All About

The staff at Fathers First mostly focus their work on helping fathers. However, the approach they take is based on the fundamental dynamics that all families need to thrive. It’s important we stay in touch with those fundamentals because of what’s at stake.

Above all, the important thing that parents can do is set the right example—especially when it comes to showing children we can deal effectively with stress and be resilient in the face of traumatic events. As Lateefah and Ed point out, “Children often do not have the experience or coping skills to do so. We as parents must model resilience in our lives so that our children can learn to do the same.”

You can make a huge difference too.

Fathers First creates a comfortable environment for men and women to learn communication and parenting skills while working on improving their overall self-worth and relationships. If you think you could help fathers or father-figures, or just want to be part of supporting parents, get involved—call (540) 777-4673.

Supporter Spotlight: Sonia Gravely

Posted on May 1, 2020

How One TAP Supporter and Community Advocate Draws from Her Past to Make a Difference Today

It was 2016, and Sabrina’s Place—the only free supervised visitation and safe exchange center in the western half of Virginia—was facing closure. For Sonia Gravely, being the best version of herself means leading the charge to empower others and working toward solutions. When she saw the news, she knew she had to do something.

Taking a Personal Interest in the Matter

Supporting Sabrina’s Place is a doubly important cause for Sonia. She knew Sabrina Reed, the young woman murdered by her estranged husband during a custody exchange, for whom Sabrina’s Place is named. As a domestic violence survivor herself, Sonia considers survivors sharing their stories essential. She says it’s important that people, “can see it’s the person you see every day, your neighbor, regular people, women like myself..”

Making a Difference

When Sonia decided to support Sabrina’s Place, she knew she wanted to do something that both supported the program financially and provided a platform for people affected by domestic violence. As a member of the Missionary Ministry of Hill Street Baptist Church, she was eager to get her church involved. She created the biennial Benefit Concert hosted by Hill Street Baptist Church, which now raises several thousand dollars for Sabrina’s Place at each event and includes participation from 14 other area churches. At each event, an anonymous survivor shares his or her story as a reminder that people around us often carry unseen scars.

TAP’s Housing and Human Services Director says of Sonia, “Her passion for survivors of domestic and intimate partner violence is what drives her. She takes on planning the Benefit Concert and fills the seats to ensure that we can serve families that need us. Her heart is as big as the voices that sing! She is the kind of person you want in your corner at every event cheering—and planning!”

Being the Change You Want to See

The Benefit Concert isn’t the only way Sonia supports Sabrina’s Place. She also organizes an off-year donation drive, collecting items like toiletries, cleaning supplies, and snacks for the participants’ children. For her, the process isn’t just about doing something—it’s about becoming the kind of person you want to be.

“Knowing the domestic violence scars I have, it helped me make a different decision on who Sonia should be and where Sonia should be. It made me redirect me. That’s why I went back to school,” she says. “That’s what made me want to make mental health for women my focus. I had worked in affordable housing all my life, and that was great, but I knew I could do more.”

Does Sonia’s story sound like you or someone you know? If so, give us a call at 540-777-4673 or explore our website to find a program that inspires you and helps fulfill your vision for a better world.

Adapting for Now, Learning for the Future: Sabrina’s Place Visits Go Virtual

Posted on May 1, 2020

TAP created Sabrina’s Place to facilitate face-to-face interaction while protecting participants’ physical and emotional health during custody exchanges or court-ordered child/parent visits. Now, a microscopic threat—one capable of penetrating a number of our carefully planned physical safeguards—has forced us to rethink what it means to keep people safe in our center. Because of this, Sabrina’s Place visits have gone virtual.

Safety First

TAP designed Sabrina’s Place to prevent physical and emotional harm. With its foundational focus on safety,  Sabrina’s Place has separate parking lots, different waiting areas, and off-duty Roanoke City police officers providing security. Monitors escort families through the center at all times. However, all the locked doors and security cameras in the world can’t address the threat of a respiratory virus. As the threats to our clients evolve, so too must the services we provide to mitigate those threats.

Fortunately, technology has evolved steadily since Sabrina’s Place’s founding—it’s now cheaper, more widespread, and more accessible than it was in the past (although problems with accessibility still linger). Now that Sabrina’s Place visits have gone virtual, families can access video-based services using Wi-Fi and mobile devices.

A New Set of Security Concerns

Like many others, we’re exploring virtual technologies we might not have considered before—for example, virtual visits. Despite video conferencing’s widespread use, it still carries risks and downsides. We’ve all heard the news stories of so-called “Zoombombers” or otherwise inappropriate third-party call participants hacking into online video chats. This lack of security and control makes such options a nonstarter for Sabrina’s Place: no matter the venue, we must still protect our clients’ personal information and monitor visits for signs of mental or emotional abuse.

Thankfully, platforms created to facilitate telehealth calls offer Sabrina’s Place a secure and tested medium over which to conduct visits. With a HIPPA-compliant platform, monitors can focus on making sure the content of the visits is appropriate.

The Right Fit for Some Families—Even Without the Virus

Virtual visits could turn out to be the best trauma-informed change to Sabrina’s Place’s design in years. Over the years, we have noted that some children are apprehensive about visits with non-custodial parents/guardians. This could be a great way to ease children into visits–especially those children who have experienced large gaps in visitations over time. 

Sabrina’s Place is also the only secure supervised visitation program serving the western half of Virginia—as well as large portions of surrounding states—providing services free for the families who need it. Some families drive hours to have their visits at Sabrina’s Place. The option to supplement or replace those in-person visits would ease their time and travel burden.

Lessons to Take With Us

Best practices are always evolving—and they should be! Ahead of the switch to virtual services, TAP Housing and Human Services Director talked with current and past clients.

After one client said, “I wish this had been available when I was a client, I would have much preferred video visits, especially starting out,” she knew she had to think of the switch to virtual not as a temporary measure, but as a new part of the center’s operations moving into the future.

Freedom First & Carilion Support TAP Students

Posted on March 30, 2020

Trying to turn your life around is hard work. The students in TAP’s youth programs are doing that work every day—some of them have been doing it while fighting hunger, too.

Not a Choice, a Situation

“Some of our students don’t eat at home, not because they don’t want to eat, and not because mom doesn’t want to provide,” says Rob Wormley, mentor coordinator and recruiter for our youth programs. “But if you’ve got a bill to pay or need gas to get to work, and you provided dinner last night, sometimes you don’t have money to provide the next dinner. It’s not a choice, it’s a situation.”

Now, thanks to two recent donations from Freedom First Credit Union and Carilion, TAP students won’t be caught in that situation.

Dave Prosser from Freedom First and Sonya Charlow from Carilion were recently in a meeting where a TAP staff member shared the students’ difficulty. Both of them immediately responded to the need, asking their organizations to commit funds to help us provide healthy meals and snacks for the students so they’ll be able to focus on their work without worrying about their next meal.

“The students are trying to do better in life and learn trades,” said Sonya. “You have to be sharp in order to learn, and to be sharp you can’t be hungry. We want the students to be able to focus and have a comfort level of knowing they can have lunch or have a snack while taking on these courses and training.”

“There is certainly a need to feed the students,” echoed Dave, “and not sufficient funding at this point to address this need. Our youth and our children are our greatest asset, and we need to support them in any way we can, especially those who are coming from challenges. It’s not just an issue for TAP or the school system, but an issue for all of us stakeholders to invest in, because when our youth thrive, we all thrive as a community.”

Helping Youth Thrive

Helping all of our youth to thrive is central to TAP’s mission. The impact of these donations will help the students today to focus and improve in their classes. But, as Rob puts it, “the impact won’t happen all in one day or one month or even one year.” For the students, being able to participate in our programs and do so on a full stomach is a gift with an impact that will be realized over time as they progress and move on to successful careers. 

Get Involved

To find out how you could be a mentor, call 540-613-0048.