When youth stay at our Shelter, we want them to remember what it’s like to be a kid—or, for some, to experience that feeling for the very first time. One way is to offer them a variety of recreational activities. Whenever possible, our Case Managers and Shelter staff try to take youth offsite for fun excursions, especially during the summer months when the residents are off from school. The grants we normally receive help us cover the basics – food for meals for residents, clothing as often they come in with little apparel, transports to and from appointments. Little is left for recreational activities.
Thanks to Tara’s Starfish Foundation, this summer our kids got to truly be kids. That is at the heart of the Foundation’s mission: giving organizations like Anchor House the chance to create unforgettable experiences and joyful memories for youth who might not otherwise have them.
Tara’s Starfish Foundation was founded in memory of Carol Troy’s daughter, Tara Troy Gambardella. In addition to Carol, the Foundation’s board is comprised of many of Tara’s friends, all who wanted to find a way to stay connected with one another and keep Tara’s memory alive. Together, they decided to do this by forming Tara’s Starfish Foundation. As Carol explains, the Foundation funds projects “where kids affected by homelessness, poverty or domestic violence are having fun, doing something different, out of the ordinary.” That is exactly what happened as our youth went on adventures to places including the Philadelphia Zoo, Six Flags, Funplex, and the beach. They even got their wish to step out of their comfort zones, going on a goat hike and tackling the challenges of an escape room together.
The mission of Tara’s Starfish Foundation is to encourage and support initiatives that enrich the social, emotional and physical well-being of children whose lives are affected by poverty, homelessness or domestic violence.
The foundation is named after Tara Troy Gambardella. Tara is described as someone who loved to make people smile, especially children, and for having an uplifting energy and kindness about her that made the world a better place. She underwent the first of two open heart surgeries while she was a senior in college and, after the second valve replacement surgery in March 2011, she began blogging to educate and encourage others facing similar challenges. Tara was excited about starting a family and became pregnant. There were no signs of any health concerns until the fifth month of pregnancy. She and her unborn son died on October 31, 2011.
Carol and the board of Tara’s Starfish Foundation carefully select the organizations they want to fund (they do not accept unsolicited proposals from nonprofits). This year, they wanted to support a nonprofit that both helps young people and addresses homelessness—causes close to Tara’s heart and aligned with the Foundation’s mission.
Carol and Tara’s Starfish Foundation seeks to fund smaller, local organizations instead of national ones. The focus is on New Jersey, where Tara was raised, in Connecticut where Tara went to college and Carol resides and agencies in areas where board members live like Massachusetts.
Through research, Carol and Sara Taksler, one of Tara’s dearest friends who lives in Mercer County and is a board member of Tara’s Starfish Foundation, discovered Anchor House. Both Carol and Sara had conversations with Kim McNear, Anchor House’s Executive Director. Carol was impressed with the photos Kim shared of the Shelter, to see that it was not just “one room full of beds,” but that the Shelter was a home-like environment where youth had their own room and amenities like a recreation room with a foosball table. Kim also shared that residents bond with each other and staff over activities like arts and crafts, cooking lessons and board games. She told Carol and Sara how expensive it was to send youth on field trips, which is where the support of Tara’s Starfish Foundation could make a real difference in giving the Shelter residents these experiences.
Carol and Sara invited Anchor House to apply for a grant to fund the excursions. Carol herself was both a program director and grant writer for nonprofits and wanted to make the application process simple for the organizations she approaches to apply. When asked how she feels when she is able to fund a grant, Carol says, “It warms my heart.”
From a young age, Tara had a heart for helping kids. “Tara was the pied piper of babysitting,” Carol shared proudly—children and families alike were drawn to her caring nature. She also at an early age wanted to help people experiencing homelessness. Carol recalled that when Tara and Sara were Girl Scouts, they were part of one of the first troops to bring dinners to families living in Route I motels through Homefront, a community partner of Anchor House that is dedicated to ending homelessness in our community. Years later, after the formation of Tara’s Starfish Foundation, one of its early funded projects provided field trips for children at Homefront.
“We are incredibly grateful for the generous support of Tara’s Starfish Foundation,” said Kim McNear. “Because of this funding, we were able to provide our youth with meaningful, fun experiences that create lasting memories and enrich their lives.”
