Category: News

Starting Over and Thriving: John, Virginia CARES client

Posted on November 30, 2018

It was getting late on an August Friday in 2011, in Covington, Virginia. All John LaFlamme had in the world were the clothes on his back and a copy of his high school diploma. He had no car, no home, no family in the area, and no ID. He had just been released from prison.

Time was not on John’s side.

Within a few short months he would either successfully become a stable member of the community or he would fail to meet his parole requirements and end up back in prison.

Leslie Matney, who was at the time the district’s chief of probation and parole, recalled that the first afternoon, the scope of the tasks that John needed to accomplish in a short amount of time was daunting.

The challenges extended as far into John’s future as she could see. “He owed thousands of dollars in court costs,” Leslie pointed out. “He was stuck in the Catch-22 of not being able to afford a permanent address without a job and not being able to get a job without being able to list a full-time address,” she said.

Finding work was another challenge

The Great Recession made getting a job extremely difficult. When John got out, it seemed no one was hiring. However, despite the employment opportunities in Covington being more limited than perhaps might have been the case in a larger city, there were also opportunities in Covington that would prove crucial to John’s success story. Many returning citizens like John exit prison without a support network. For them, the sink-or-swim nature of release makes the challenge to find the right tools critical.

Luckily, John Found Help

To connect returning citizens to the services and resources that already exist, Virginia created local Reentry and Community Collaboration Councils. The councils brought together state, local, private, and community-based organizations to make better use of existing resources. Ultimately, they help returning citizens build their skills, practice good habits, and keep their positive momentum to improve their chances of gaining good jobs and remaining out of prison permanently.

Upon his release at 4:00 p.m. on a Friday, within an hour, John had obtained a temporary place to stay at a motel and met up with TAP Virginia CARES’ Lawrence St. Clair. The two talked about the obstacles facing John and began to connect. John began to work with our Virginia CARES staff regularly and attended the computer classes and the Thinking for a Change program there. He volunteered. He used all the tools that CARES offered to turn his hard work into tangible results.

Slowly, John gained momentum. Through his volunteering in the community, he made a connection with Debbie Barber of Motor-Vation Lawn Care, who hired him part-time and taught him landscaping. With a work history and references on his applications, John eventually found full-time employment with benefits. He went from staying in a motel to renting a small garage apartment, which he renovated, to owning the house in front of the garage apartment.

Thriving Today

Today, he is active in the faith community and serves as a board member for Virginia CARES, Inc.—where he continues to work alongside former Chief of Probation and Parole Leslie Matney. Reflecting on John’s progress and his role on the CARES board of directors, Leslie summarized the value of John’s progress as a source of experience and encouragement for the whole organization: “To have John’s perspective, to have that voice on our board is so valuable.”

When asked about the key to his success, John’s answer is almost a perfect mirror image of Leslie’s. Her career in probation and parole and its lessons of building a community of support for returning citizens have led her to conclude that “it takes a village” to help formerly institutionalized people. John, meanwhile, reflected on his story and what he most often shares with those he mentors now: “Nobody can do it by themselves.”

Click here to find out more about our Virginia CARES program.

Working Together to Serve Our Nation’s Veterans

Posted on October 31, 2018

How TAP works with the local VA Hospital to help end veteran homelessness

When the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced the ambitious goal of ending veteran homelessness in 2009, the agency knew that it would need to do things differently to make the impact it wanted. Its new plan involved bringing more partners to the table to make the care veterans received truly comprehensive.

As part of the Salem VA Medical Center’s efforts to help reach that goal, Katherine “Kate” Donaldson serves as its eyes and ears in central and western Virginia. As the outreach worker for the VA’s Healthcare for Homeless Veterans program, Kate is not just the first point of contact for veterans living in homeless shelters in Roanoke, Lynchburg, and Staunton, but also a hub for dozens of supportive service programs for the veterans she works with.

Since she joined the Healthcare for Homeless Veterans program four years ago, she has worked closely with our Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program. She describes the working relationship with her SSVF counterpart and TAP employee Evelyn Jordan as not merely a point of contact, but as an extremely close and trusted colleague, emphasizing that they have joint outreach sessions and rely on each other to help meet the needs of the hundreds of veterans they meet each year. “I know her program like the back of my hand and she knows my program like the back of hers, so if anyone comes into TAP and she thinks they’d be appropriate, she can give them all the information about my program that they need to know, and vice-versa.”

In addition to all her efforts to meet veterans firsthand and make sure they can get into the programs they need, Kate also oversees another program—Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Administration Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH)—that works in tandem with SSVF to help end veteran homelessness.

“HUD-VASH does not help with security or utility deposits, but SSVF is able to provide that,” she explained. “And then there are clients that SSVF sees that don’t have income, and won’t have it soon, so without HUD-VASH they would be sitting in shelter a very long time without being able to get housed.”

For the nation’s veterans facing homelessness, service providers collaborating isn’t a question of making efficient use of available resources—it’s the only way to start closing the service gaps that veterans can fall through.

For information or to donate, please click here.

Someone you know has likely suffered through domestic violence

Posted on September 28, 2018

Domestic violence is common. Very common. About one in every four women and one in seven men has experienced it. Despite how frequently it occurs in our society, the myths about domestic violence can cause us to do the wrong thing when trying to help.

In my work assisting domestic violence survivors, the question that I’m asked most frequently is “Why don’t they just leave?”

The truth is that most domestic violence situations are complicated by a number of factors. An abuser can use different fears as leverage in order to trap a survivor or limit their options. For example, a male client once told me he stayed with his abuser because he knew that it would make his kids safer. He said that if she was hitting him, then he knew she wasn’t hitting their kids. That need to be close to his kids, and to have firsthand knowledge they were safe, was far more important than his own physical safety.

And, further complicating the matter, many male survivors perceive that they will struggle in court to prove that they are victims of abuse and that they should retain sole custody of their children.

Where to start?

Each situation is different. The best thing you can do to help is be an advocate—to listen and to support, offering counsel, but always remembering that abuse is a form of control, and empowering survivors means they must make their own decisions. After all, they’re the ones who have to live with the consequences.

With that in mind, one of the best things you can do for someone is to make sure they don’t have to navigate a complex, dangerous situation alone. Refer them to a domestic violence hotline, such as TAP’s 24/7 help hotline at 540-580-0775. Abusers are often able to perpetuate their abuse because they isolate their victims.

---

Three common myths

Seeing past all the myths and misunderstandings about domestic violence goes a long way in developing a helpful, supportive perspective.

Myth #1:
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ONLY HAPPENS IN POOR FAMILIES.

Domestic violence occurs throughout all levels of society. There is no evidence that suggests that any income level, occupation, social class, or culture is immune from domestic violence. At TAP DVS we see a wide range of clients, from clients with no income to professionals with PhDs. The HBO short series Big Little Lies demonstrates this phenomenon and is a great example of how common abuse and violence are in many relationships.

Myth #2:
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IS ALWAYS PHYSICAL ABUSE.

Domestic abuse and intimate partner abuse do not always leave a bruise or a broken bone. In fact, the majority of clients that we see have experienced other types of abuse like financial, mental/emotional, sexual, coercion, harassment, stalking, and poly-victimization (multiple types of abuse). Sometimes the emotional and financial abuse leaves a larger scar than the physical abuse. The feeling of another person controlling your life has profound and lasting effects; these wounds can take years to heal.

Myth #3:
VICTIMS HAVE THE TYPES OF PERSONALITIES THAT ATTRACT ABUSIVE PARTNERS AND ENCOURAGE ABUSE.

This is a form of victim-blaming and it is very common in our society. A number of studies have determined that there is no standard set of personality traits among victims of domestic violence. It is helpful to remind ourselves that the batterer is responsible for the battering, not the victim. We often turn the table back on the victim in abuse cases, especially assaults and sexual assaults, instead of rightfully placing blame on the abuser. Remember: no one asks to be raped, beaten, or abused.

---

What to do if you think someone is in danger:

Learning these facts will help you become more informed, but it’s only the first step. Learn about the resources in your region in case you need to help someone out of a situation. If you’re worried about someone, recommending they seek out resources is much more likely to be successful if you can name some of those resources and how they can help—it could make the difference between life and death.

If you or someone you know in the Roanoke region has been abused, TAP DVS has a 24/7 hotline at 540-580-0775. If you are unsure of the local resources in your region, call the U.S. National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233. We can all be a source of hope!

Written by the director of TAP’s Domestic Violence Services

Dr. Brenda Louise Hale honored with the 2018 Cabell Brand Hope Award

Posted on September 24, 2018

We are delighted to present Dr. Brenda Hale with this year’s Cabell Brand Hope Award. Hale has devoted her life to serving her community and we are happy to honor her with this award. The award will be presented to Hale at TAP’s Annual Lunch on October 16^th. 

Dr. Brenda Louise Hale is an eight-term President of the Roanoke Branch NAACP with an impressive portfolio of service, achievement, innovation, and collaboration. Dr. Hale is an individual of high integrity and is well-respected throughout the region for her community service. Steadfast in her commitment to community and justice, she truly possesses the ability to act as an agent for change.

Dr. Hale attended Chaminade University in Honolulu and Roanoke College where she studied psychology. She received her nursing education from Fitzsimmon Army General Hospital and Virginia Western Community College. She also received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Bethlehem Bible College in 2010; a doctorate of theology in biblical studies from the Word of Life Theological Seminary in 2013; and an honorary doctorate of humane letters with all rights and privileges from Roanoke College in 2018.

Sergeant First Class (E-7) Hale retired from the Army in 1978. She has since worked with the Salem Veterans Affairs Medical Center as a LPN and RN; the Non-Commissioned Officers Association in Honolulu as a financial counselor; and Primerica Financial Service as a financial representative division leader.

Dr. Hale is a member of Loudon Avenue Christian Church and a Gold Life Member of the NAACP, among several other civic memberships. She is the senior vice commander of the VFW Post 1444 in Roanoke, serves as the secretary of the TAP Board of Directors, and also serves on several other boards including Jefferson College of Health Sciences, Roanoke City Rescue Mission, and Local Colors.

Dr. Hale is the first African American elected as secretary for the VA State Board of Nursing. She was also listed in Who’s Who in American Nursing 1990-91 and Who’s Who of American Women 1995-96. Other accolades received by Dr. Hale include: numerous military medals; the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drum Major for Justice Award from the Roanoke Chapter SCLC; named a Paul Harris Fellow by the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International; the Black Girls Rock Award from the Continental Societies, Inc. Roanoke Chapter; the Impactors of Excellence Award from the Roanoke NAACP Youth Council; and the UBU Humanitarian Award.

How Much Can You Know About A College You Can’t Visit?

Posted on September 4, 2018

TAP’s Project Discovery makes sure great students don’t miss out on college due to a lack of resources

DA’NERA KINSEY IS GOING TO COLLEGE—she just needs to narrow down which one from the dozens she has visited with TAP’s Project Discovery.

Like many high school seniors, Da’Nera’s thinking about college a lot this time of year. Through her involvement with Project Discovery, she’s made dozens of visits, but she’s taking plenty of time this fall to think her decision through. Unlike many of her peers, however, her opportunities to visit colleges were limited by her mother being the primary caregiver to Da’Nera’s quadriplegic brother.

Grabbing Opportunities

Da’Nera knew she was interested in attending college—and, despite not being able to take her to visit schools herself, so did her mother. When a family friend recommended Da’Nera look into Project Discovery, she grabbed the opportunity and didn’t look back. She joined the program when she was in middle school and has attended each year’s workshops and as many campus visits as possible.

Since joining, she has gone on dozens of campus visits with the program, including Emory and Henry, James Madison University, William and Mary, Old Dominion University (twice), Christopher Newport University, Hampton University, Norfolk State, and more.

The visits have given her a better idea of what kind of school feels right for her. She wants a school that’s not too far away from home so she can still see her family. She does, however, want a school that’s far enough away that she doesn’t feel like she never left. She says knowingly, “I still want that college experience!”

A History of Success

Project Discovery helps hundreds of students to succeed in improving their test scores, getting into college, and being successful. A 2008 Pell Institute study found that only 11% of the nation’s low-income, first-generation college students earned a bachelor’s degree within six years of starting. Project Discovery wants to change that by giving young students academic counseling, workshops on admissions and financial aid topics, SAT prep, college application fee assistance, and, of course, campus visits to help students stay focused on their goals.

Because community members like you give to TAP, we’re able to sustain programs like Project Discovery and to keep serving talented young students like Da’Nera.

Community Partnerships: Carilion and TAP working together

Posted on August 1, 2018

Carilion Clinic runs a wide network of hospitals and physicians and serves nearly one million Virginians each year. Medical expertise is a major requirement, but a hospital needs so much more to be successful in its mission of care. Hospitals are often high-stress environments—for employees and visitors alike—making the practice of interpersonal skills an important challenge to meet.

Certified Nurse Assistant Program

To help its nurse assistants be successful, Carilion partnered with TAP to provide orientation classes to new hires. It was our Certified Nurse Assistant program, which provides the certification necessary to work in long-term care facilities, that first got Carilion’s attention. Our students consistently demonstrated not only the right blend of technical skills required to achieve certification, but did so along with a core set of soft skills, good workplace habits, and hands-on practice.

Jessica Sheppard, LPN, is our instructional specialist for the program and coordinator with Carilion. Previously employed at Carilion, she brings 21 years of nursing experience and knows just how demanding the profession can be. She works with her students to improve their skills in listening to and interacting with patients, as well as deciphering what findings to report to their colleagues. She also prepares them for how the practice can be more demanding than what’s in the textbook.

“It’s my passion”

For Jessica, the chance to make a difference in the care her students provide to those in need is a major motivating factor. “It’s my passion,” she says. “I want my students to remember what they learn!”

Find out more about our adult education programs here.

Why Sell The Dumas, A Valuable Piece Of History

Posted on May 1, 2017

A message from Annette Lewis, CEO and President of TAP.

Many of you have heard speculation that the Dumas Center for Artistic and Cultural Development is for sale. This is indeed true. The building is currently on the market for the list price of $1,075,000.

History

In the early 1990s, at the request of then Mayor Noel C. Taylor, TAP agreed to take ownership of the former Hotel Dumas on Henry Street in order to save it from demolition. The decades after World War II were not kind to Henry Street, which suffered greatly due to the decline of the railroads (the Norfolk & Western railroad was a major employer in Roanoke and fueled the area’s growth), changing demographics, and misguided urban renewal. Redlining and disinvestment hindered the survival of the once-thriving neighborhood. As part of our continued community development efforts, the agency decided to spearhead the effort to transform the Dumas into a music and arts center, returning it to its former purpose as a place of cultural exchange.

The renovations were completed in two phases: Phase one was funded by a $212,000 loan from the City of Roanoke (later forgiven) and a $600,000 grant from the Department of Health and Human Services. The funds were used to remove asbestos, shore up walls, and create a usable stage, kitchen, and restrooms. Phase two cost over $4 million and was funded by a variety of sources, including New Markets and Federal Historic Tax Credits, grants and donations from the broad community. Additionally, TAP invested $821,574 of its own resources in the facility. The end result is that today the Dumas has been fully renovated into a state-of-the-art, 178-seat theater conducive for musicals, plays, workshops, offices and community events.

The Dumas has played—and continues to play—a role in the neighborhood’s rebirth by attracting interest and investment while preserving the neighborhood’s legacy through observance and celebration of its cultural identity. Since its renovation, a number of positive changes have taken place. Organizations —both arts-related and not—have called the Dumas home and the surrounding streets are experiencing a renaissance of residential, institutional, and commercial redevelopment. The redevelopment includes the renovation of a landmark facility, the Ebony Club, which is now the Claude Moore Education Complex. Additionally, TAP advocated along with the Roanoke Branch of the NAACP and the Roanoke Valley SCLC to build the high quality Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Statue.

A Difficult Decision

The decision to sell the Dumas Center was not an easy one. We—I, the Board of Directors, TAP staff—recognize its importance in Roanoke’s, and more specifically Henry Street’s history. Built in 1917, the Dumas was a hot spot for entertainers traveling through Roanoke’s Henry Street District—the hub of an African American neighborhood also known as “The Yard”—during the district’s rise throughout the 1930s. During the Dumas’ prime, performers such as Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horn, Lionel Hampton, and many more visited to entertain one of the few integrated crowds in western Virginia. Aside from the entertainment taking place downstairs, the hotel was one of the only lodging establishments in the area that accommodated black travelers during the Jim Crow era.

With all of its rich history, why is TAP selling the property? TAP wants to pay off the remaining loan debt and recover as much of our investment as possible. TAP’s mission is to help individuals and families achieve economic and personal independence through education, employment, affordable housing and safe and healthy environments. The sale of the Dumas will allow us to focus our attention and resources on programs that are vital to our community and fall in line with our mission.

Many times throughout its history, TAP has taken on a program, or in the case of the Dumas Center, a very important project, nurtured its development and growth, and then handed it over to capable hands. We feel that now is the right time to do that with the Dumas. It is our desire to sell the Dumas to an individual, organization or group whose mission aligns with the purpose of this beautifully renovated facility. We are confident that the Dumas will continue to be a reminder of the rich history and culture of its community.

Anyone interested in more information about the sale of the Dumas Center should contact 540-855-3654. To read Roanoke Times’ article, please Click Here

How Local Support Saved the Fathers First Program

Posted on March 19, 2017

Finding out he was going to become a father changed Kenyatta Cole’s life. He joined Fathers First to help build the skills he knew would help him be the best father he could be. However, there very nearly was no Fathers First program for him to join.

In September of 2015 Fathers First saw its strong renewal application refused funding in the very same week it was asked to share some of its innovative programming at a national conference. The loss of five years’ funding totaling millions of dollars was a huge blow to what had become one of TAP’s most successful and beloved programs. Despite facing an enormous funding shortfall, the program has remained operational since then—thanks in large part to local donations and TAP’s general fund.

“Dads are a real underserved population”

Fathers First program manager Nick Kline has seen changes in the lives of hundreds of fathers who have come through the program, which gives participants the tools and skills they need to be great parents. “Dads are a real underserved population—especially in this area,” he says.

The challenges facing new fathers are certainly not simple ones. Classes address not only parenting, but everything else fathers need in order to give their children a stable, healthy home. The course list includes workshops on: job readiness, and how to keep their jobs while making time to parent; co-parenting; discipline; and how to communicate with children.

Because home life is so crucial to a child’s social, emotional, and academic foundations, Fathers First represents an amazing chance to not only help the current generation of fathers, but build the foundation for the next generation, too.

Selflessness

Kenyatta Cole joined the program in 2016, completing it shortly before his daughter Harmony was born. He talks about how his experience in Fathers First helped him realize his vision of how a good father should act. “The main thing I took from the class,” he says, “is selflessness. You learn how to put your family, maybe your job, career, school in front of unnecessary things that you may yourself want.”

We see every day what a difference TAP programs make in helping low-income families reach their goals, and how that makes life better for everyone here in the Valley. Local donations to the general fund allow us to bring in larger grants by meeting their match requirements and help keep great programs like Fathers First going even when the federal grants fall through.

“For a while it looked like we were going to be stranded,” Kline says, looking back on when they were informed the program’s funding would not be renewed. But thanks to local support, Fathers First is still open for business, and fathers like Kenyatta Cole can concentrate on what they need to do to be great dads to their sons and daughters.

With more funding, we will be able to help more people like Kenyatta; consider making a donation today. Learn more about Kenyatta in this story from WDBJ7.

TAP Education Programs Make A Difference

Posted on March 18, 2017

Royanik and Mina, former YALE students, found it hard to stay out of trouble. Mina even admits she got locked up, fought a lot, and disrespected her mother and other authority figures. With guidance from the YALE program, the girls were able to turn things around and set their lives on the right track.

After enrolling in the program, Royanik said the YALE staff helped her through job readiness services, college tours, and community service learning projects.

Finding a New Path

Mina noted that the program helped her get a lifeguard certification and find employment. Despite having graduated from the program, she explained that she still communicates regularly with YALE staff and appreciates their commitment to making sure students past and present flourish. Hoping to pay it forward, both girls have now returned to the program in order to act as role models for future graduates!

With more funding, we can help more people like Royanik and Mina. Show your support by donating to TAP today.