Hello and thank you so much for having us here at the Montgomery County Chamber

of Commerces annual meeting. My name is Joy Carter Parrish and Ive been a part of
the West End Center for 23 years. It is a great honor to be recognized for some of
our accomplishments in the community and Im here today to give you a bit of
information about our organization and how we plan to keep improving this already
strong community.

The mission of the West End Center is near and dear to our hearts and reads as
follows: by creating a positive and nurturing child development community, the
West End Center enables local families and children with limited resources to lead
more self-determined and enriched lives. All of us at the center really do try to live
by these words and always remember the why behind what we are doing.

In 1979, poverty, crime, and drug trading characterized the West End neighborhood
of Roanoke. At the time, this neighborhood was also abandoned buildings,
deteriorating rental properties, and vacant lots. Children were wondering the
streets and vandalism was not uncommon.

To tackle this problem head-on, local churches, including West End Presbyterian
Church, West End Methodist Church, and the Mountain View Neighborhood Alliance,
came together to create a safe space for the children of the West End Neighborhood.
The unified goal was to create a place where children of the West End neighborhood
could come together to learn in a fun and happy environment, which is now the
West End Center.

Since the West End Center was created in 1979, it has grown tremendously by
providing an array of programs to the children who lived in Roanokes
disadvantaged neighborhoods. As of now, the West End Center serves up to 150
children per year.

The goal of the West End Center program today is to equip children with the
developmental assets they need to become productive, responsible adults. The West
End Center also enables local families and children with limited resources to lead
more self-determined and enriched lives. As a grassroots organization, the West End
Center seeks to build a more prosperous and compassionate community by
fostering future generations of citizens.

The West End Center attributes much of its success to the programs weve
implemented to make a difference. Our two primary programs are after-school and
during the summer. By working alongside families and the community, we provide
services like tutoring, STEM education, literacy programs, physical activity,
nutrition, social skills, leadership and field trips.

In 2016, 71% of the children enrolled in the program were beneath the poverty
level and 79% had single parents. All enrollees attend Roanoke City Public Schools
and 97% are African-American. Many disadvantaged families are unable to provide
resources for their children or are unable to invest time in their childs education
and growth. The programs we have in place are designed to provide a nurturing
environment for these students.

We would be unable to accomplish anything without the help of our Board of

Directors, our staff and funding.

Our current board of directors includes a diverse group of community leaders and
you can find a full list at westendcenter.org.

We have a talented, passionate and selfless staff that work tirelessly to serve this
community Im consistently referencing.

Our Program Director, Danny Britton, has worked with youth programs for over
fifteen years, nine of which were at the West End Center. Danny is responsible for
coordinating programming, community partnerships and mediating parent
involvement in the program.

Nathan Proutey serves as the current Educational Director and has been working
with the youth for sixteen years. He first started working with the West End Center
in 2009 and works closely with all of our programs that I mentioned previously.

The Peace Building and Leadership Coordinator is Starmaine Daye. Before working
at the West End Center, she worked with adjudicated inner-city youth to re-
establish a connection to their communities. Now she serves as a unique and strong
member of the staff handling leadership coordination.

Development Director, Melanie Huber, has been advocating for children for over 20
years. Her earlier work was a Site Supervisor for After School for Kids, a teacher at
Honeytree ELC, a CASA volunteer, and helped found a grassroots organization called
Alliance for the Rights of Children.

And lastly, Susan Kessler is the current literacy teacher. A retired elementary school
teacher she began tutoring in 2009 and has served as the Literacy Teacher since
January 2016.

Like I said before, The West End Center would hardly be possible without our 25
community partners. Some of our partners include the Roanoke City Police, RCGA
Family Service, Mill Mountain Theater, Roanoke College, and Junior Achievement.
Through these partnerships, as well as others, the Center is able to provide
experiences and fundraising to the children in the program that we otherwise could
not. In 2015, the West End Center received grants from the following organizations:
Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, GE Foundation, Layman Family
Foundation, The Kathryn Mcquade Foundation, Elbert H., Evelyn J., & Karen H.
Waldron Charitable Foundation, Inc., Sam & Marion Golden Helping Hand
Foundation, The Helen C. Cobbs Foundation, The Ceres Foundation, Inc., and the
Linlundh Foundation. These grants totaled $51,020 and we are ever so grateful.

The West End Center makes a meaningful impact in the lives of hundreds of children
in their community. The provision of additional funding will allow us to continue
our service to the community and improve the ability to create positive change. The
West End Center has become a local institution and a trusted source of community
pride for an area in great need.

The organization measures its success each time a youth grows into a successful
adult. While individual success stories are the most heartwarming, the West End
Center also has quantifiable indicators of their program's effectiveness like, an 81%
pass rate on Math SOLs (8% higher than African-Americans in Roanoke City) and
99% of students passing to the next grade level.

While we are so grateful to be considered a non-profit to watch in the community,

we arent content with where we are currently with the program. We want to
continue to improve this wonderful community and any little bit helps. Whether it
be volunteering for one of our many programs or helping to fund our organizations
work, we would love to hear from you and are accepting of any help the Roanoke
Community would like to give.

The West End Center is a community driven organization that is trying to help
better the lives of children in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Through the West End
Center, there is a change made in childrens lives because they are experiencing a
program that furthers their education, while also contributing for them to have a
great time while doing so. The excellent staff that helps these children each day
creates the environment for these children. The West End Center is a program that
has made a difference in the lives of community members and children for 38 years,
and will hopefully continue doing so in the years to come.