Today, I’ve been reflecting on our fanTASCtic Superheroes and how grateful I am that they have chosen to participate in our campaign to raise Sustainability Partners.  If you are friends with any of them, you may have seen mentions of one or more of these facts about the impact of our programs: 

• Nationally, only 38% of teen moms graduate high school before age 20.  At TASC, 96% graduated ON TIME this year!  And 67% of those went on to college.
• In TASC’s First Steps program, 118 teens and their 137 infants were served in 2016, with parents committing to education and goal achievement.
• TASC distributed over 68,000 diapers to teen parents working to stay in school and further themselves educationally and in their careers.
• At TASC, teens volunteering in the community completed 480 services projects in 2016, equaling out to 3,525 services hours in NWA!
• TASC Teens local impact in service hours for 2016 was $85,094!
• TASC mentored 202 teens in 2016 with quality group and 1 on 1 mentorship, all while serving alongside one another in the community.
• TASC counselors completed 581 hours of low to no cost group and individual counseling in 2016.
• In 2016, TASC counselors saw 143 clients who might not have otherwise had access to mental health services.
• TASC’s Day of PROMise program provided a full-on prom experience for 117 girls and boys that would not have otherwise been able to attend.
• TASC’s Christmas Teen Initiative provided for 127 youth in 2016.
• In 2016, TASC served 82 homeless teens with wrap around case management, resources, and housing assistance.  Over 90% are now safely and stably housed.

And these numbers may leave you questioning:

• HOW do they have a teen mom graduation rate of 96% while the state and national averages stay around 38%?
• HOW do 94% of their parents of teens say they feel better prepared to redirect misbehavior after taking Active Parenting classes? HOW do their teens complete nearly 500 quality, enriching community service projects every year?
• HOW did their Teen Thrive program empower 84 teens and their families to go from a place of homelessness to housing stability last year?

These things are amazing, nearly supernatural! One reason is because, at TASC, our super strength is that we have a culture of high-quality people and programming. And our super power, is that every one of our staff and Board of Directors truly believe that teens can and do transform their lives and communities when given the opportunity. We truly believe that teen parents can be great parents and that homelessness or juvenile detention or some other struggle does not have to be the end of the story for any teen. Not only am I ED here, but I have been a fan and supporter of the work of TASC for 12 years. It’s truly the most fantastic and effective organization I’ve ever been a part of. That’s the HOW we empower teens to take action in their own lives and in their communities. And while we call it a superhero campaign and while our impact gives the impression that we have some sort of super powers… in truth, we are all just regular people showing up for teens. Teens are super-amazing. Let us show you.

Join us and become a superhero for youth in Benton and Washington counties! With our powers combined, we can truly make a difference in the lives of youth through supporting the programs of TASC. 100% of your donation goes directly to programming for teens in NWA!