TAP Press Conference

TAP to Launch New Program for Women in Recovery

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TAP is starting a new program for women in recovery.

Southwest Virginia is at the center of the nation’s opioid crisis. Overdose and neonatal abstinence syndrome rates far in excess of state and national averages.

Total Action for Progress (TAP) is excited to announce a new program, RESTORE (Re-employment, Support, and Training for the Opioid-Related Epidemic) Southwest Virginia. TAP is one of only five agencies in the United States to be granted funds for this program for women in recovery.

RESTORE Southwest Virginia will assist families impacted by the opioid crisis in three regions:

  • Greater Roanoke,
  • New River Valley
  • Alleghany Highlands

The program will provide career services and job training to women in two groups:

  1. Women with an opioid use disorder (OUD) who are in recovery and have progressed far enough in their recovery to where training and/or improved employment is a benefit to sustaining their recovery.
  2. Women who find themselves with greater financial responsibility for sustaining a household impacted by the opioid crisis. This may include grandmothers raising grandkids or female heads of household where the father’s ability to contribute to household income is impacted by the opioid crisis.

This program is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor—Through this grant, TAP plans to serve 120 women throughout Greater Roanoke, the New River Valley, and Alleghany Highlands.

On hand at the press conference for the announcement were Mayor Sherman Lea, City of Roanoke; Mayor Thomas Sibold, City of Covington; Senator John Edwards and other invited guests to applaud this new regional effort.

This workforce product was funded by a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau. The product was created by the grantee and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. The U.S. Department of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or implied, with respect to such information, including any information on linked sites and including, but not limited to, accuracy of the information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability, or ownership. This product is copyrighted by the institution that created it.  RESTORE is 100% funded by a $500,000 federal grant from the Department of Labor.

TAP Presents New Legacy Award to George Kegley

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We are excited to present a new award at our 2019 Annual Lunch: the Legacy Award. It will be presented to Mr. George Kegley of Roanoke. We congratulate him on this recognition and thank him for his tireless service to our community.

About Mr. Kegley

Kegley spent 44 years as a journalist for The Roanoke Times, first as a general assignment reporter and then as a business writer. A fixture of the community, Mr. Kegley was also heavily involved in volunteering throughout his professional career, and has been a “full-time volunteer” since his retirement in 1993.

In 1950, after writing an article about the opening of the local Red Cross center, Mr. Kegley became a blood donor and has since donated 60 gallons, one pint at a time. In addition, he and his wife Louise have been involved with the Historical Society of Western Virginia since it was founded in 1957, including Mr. Kegley serving as president and board member.

In 1988, Mr. Kegley helped to establish the Roanoke Valley Preservation Foundation, of which he still serves as a board member. Further, Mr. and Mrs. Kegley donated a large easement on their 116-acre farm to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation & Department of Historic Resources, the first conservation easement within Roanoke City limits.

Mr. Kegley also spends his time organizing summer camps and camping trips for inner-city children, teaching Sunday school and participating in other activities at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, and editing the monthly Virginia Lutheran and quarterly insert for a national Lutheran magazine.

He has also been a long-time volunteer with Meals on Wheels, spent more than 18 years volunteering at the RAM House, and worked to improve the lives of refugees in the Roanoke Valley for more than 40 years. Mr. Kegley likes to tell people that “volunteerism is like quicksand—the more you do, the more involved you get with the people you are working with, and the more interested you are.”

TAP Supporter

Supporter Spotlight: Q&A with Suzanne Thorniley

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Suzanne Thorniley, a licensed therapist trained in domestic violence work, is a supporter of TAP’s Domestic Violence Services (DVS) and has volunteered with the program for the past eight years. Her passion for the work of DVS is contagious. Recently, we had the opportunity to talk with Suzanne and reflect on her experience with the program.

Q: How did you first become aware of TAP’s Domestic Violence Services?

A: I had moved here from West Virginia and was waiting for my clinical social work license to be transferred here, and in the meantime I wanted to keep my skills honed. I had been trained in DVS work in West Virginia and thought it would be a good idea to volunteer as a therapist until my license transferred. I started volunteering eight years ago and have watched this program grow and deepen and strengthen over those eight years.

…I’m there [usually] one day a week. The staff members always thank me for being there; they are so gracious—there’s always a smile, always someone to chat with. Although I’m not officially on the staff I feel so appreciated and so much a part of the team.

Q: What good things do you see TAP’s DVS doing for our community?

A: I watch the staff being devoted to [mostly] women and families when they are in crisis. The staff members are on the front lines—they are there, available 24 hours a day, knowledgeable and sensitive. They are there when victims that then become survivors need them.

They also educate and reach out to the community. In October there’s lots of education in the community to build awareness. Most of the community still would choose to hold a blind eye to family violence because people don’t really want to know the dangerous situations that many families are living in. DVS keeps chipping away at that and continuing to try to broaden awareness in the community. When the community is more aware, the more support these individuals will have.

Q: Why do you personally support DVS?

A: I’m skilled in this area, and it’s really important to me to be involved and engaged. I feel like this is a place where I can truly make a difference and I believe I do. DVS has allowed me to do that. They’ve given me the opportunity to be flexible with my schedule. I want to support them in the ways that are most effective.

Q: If someone were considering making a donation to DVS, what would you want them to know?

A: The program always needs resources; there will probably continue to be funding cuts and there are several specific areas that will need continued support such as legal assistance, help with bills, and help with transportation. As a donor and as a philanthropist I would want to contribute to those areas of greatest need.

Click here to find out how you can become a TAP supporter like Suzanne.