Total Action for Progress Launches From Fear to Hope to Support Domestic Violence Survivors

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Month Long Crowdfunding Campaign Aimed at Funding Domestic Violence Services in Southwest Virginia

Roanoke, VA, April 30, 2024 – Amid escalating violence and need in our community, Total Action for Progress (TAP) is launching an urgent crowdfunding campaign starting May 1st to bolster its domestic violence prevention and support services. This critical one month initiative called From Fear to Hope aims to address the sharp rise in violent crime, up by 30% since 2020, and a 15% increase in reports of child abuse in the same period. The aftermath has seen a staggering 173% surge in individuals and families turning to TAP for shelter and support.

TAP’s Domestic Violence Services and Sabrina’s Place stand at the forefront of this crisis, providing emergency assistance, legal advocacy, crisis intervention, and a safe space for supervised visitation and safe exchanges. Sabrina’s Place is a unique resource in the Roanoke Valley, a sanctuary for those affected by domestic violence.

“We are witnessing the devastating impact of violence on our community,” said Stacey Sheppard, Director of Housing & Human Services at TAP. “The demand for our services has never been greater. This campaign is not   just a call for funding; it’s a call to action against domestic violence and intimate partner violence.”

The community’s participation in this crowdfunding effort is vital. Contributions will directly enable the scaling of TAP’s services, addressing the heightened need for safe shelters, legal assistance, and supportive interventions.

For details on how to support this campaign or to learn more about TAP’s efforts, please visit https://tapintohope.org/from-fear-to-hope-campaign/

TAP Honors Annette Lewis with School Renaming and Launch of Endowment Fund

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In a heartfelt tribute to a remarkable career and profound impact on education and community service, Total Action for Progress (TAP) celebrated the retirement of Ms. Annette M. Lewis on April 12. The highlight of the evening was the announcement of renaming the Greenvale School to the Annette Martin Lewis Head Start Center, in honor of Lewis’s visionary leadership and dedication to early childhood education.

Annette Lewis has served TAP with distinction for over 35 years, 9 of those as President and CEO. She has been instrumental in the agency’s growth and to empowering the youngest members of the community. The renaming ceremony underscored Lewis’s legacy as an advocate for the transformative power of education.

“I am in awe with the outpouring of support for my service at TAP.  The kind expressions shown to me have touched my heart,” stated Lewis. “Words cannot describe the amazement and honor I feel to have a Head Start Center named after me.  I love Head Start because of its mission and all it does for families and communities.”

The event also marked the formation of the Lewis Center Endowment, a fund established to ensure the perpetual care and support of the newly named Annette Martin Lewis Head Start Center. This endowment represents a sustainable commitment to guaranteeing that future generations will benefit from the same level of passion and dedication that she exemplified.

“We are incredibly proud to honor Ms. Lewis’s extraordinary contributions to TAP and to our community,” said Angela Penn, President and CEO at TAP. “Renaming the Head Start Center in her honor and establishing the Lewis Center Endowment are testaments to the lasting change she has inspired. We invite our supporters and friends to join us in building on this legacy.”

As TAP looks forward to this new chapter, the Annette Martin Lewis Head Start Center and the Lewis Center Endowment stand as symbols of hope, education, and the power of community support. For more information on the Annette Martin Lewis Head Start Center and how to support the Lewis Center Endowment, please visit: https://tapintohope.org/annette-lewis-head-start-center/.

SERCAP: From TAP Pilot Program to Helping Provide Safe Water Across Seven States

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Southeast Rural Community Action Project (SERCAP) started as a TAP pilot program, the Virginia Water Project, to provide safe drinking water to Roanoke Valley residents. The program proved so successful that it spun off into its own organization in 1969. Today, SERCAP serves over one million households across seven states. They provide safe water, sanitary water disposal, and structurally sound housing. 

“In 1966 there were 278,000 families in Virginia with no indoor plumbing and no running water on the property,” explained the late Cabell Brand, founder of TAP and the creator of what ultimately became SERCAP. This expanded to the larger RCAP network, serving the entire United States with community development projects. His comments are captured in a video production by SERCAP. “So, we started a demonstration water project and got a grant from the Ford Foundation to test this idea. And what we found out was when you brought water to people, economic development started. People started putting roads in, and infrastructure, and people started building houses. So, this caught on with the State legislature, and our demonstration water project eventually became the Virginia Water Project, and the Virginia Water Project then became the National Water Project.”

“We are an organization that holds the hands of small rural communities that often tend to feel like they are left behind,” explains Hope F. Cupit, President & CEO of SERCAP. “We work with communities for the long term, over 30-40 years, to get them to where they need to be.” This includes providing support for economic development, job creation, and infrastructure. “We find ourselves working with many community-based projects, rather than individuals.”

Born and raised in Roanoke, Hope has both professional and personal ties to TAP. “My first introduction to TAP as a child that I recall is being at the Head Start center.” This was located at the YMCA in Gainsboro. “That’s where we all went. Had great memories there. The teachers were great to us. We felt nurtured.”

Hope’s a community success story herself. She was one of the first participants in Project Discovery. TAP took her to visit colleges and helped pay for entrance exam fees. She received an accounting degree from James Madison University, then became a licensed CPA. Hope later earned a master’s degree. She is now an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Virginia Western Community College. Two of her three children have gone on to earn college degrees.

Hope joined SERCAP in 2007 as the comptroller and became CEO two years later. “I finally got to meet the man who made this all possible and that was Cabell Brand,” she says. “That was the man who provided the necessary support to a group of folks who he did not have to help because he was already a self-made millionaire. He gave back to people who were less fortunate and he didn’t have to. I can’t thank him and his family enough.”

“This has come back full circle,” Hope explains. “I came back home to Roanoke working very closely with the Agency who gave me the support to get to where I am today. I want to make sure I’m in a position to give back to others because of the situation I found myself in years ago.”

This year, SERCAP became a TAP Corporate Investor.