It was the year 2000 when Percy and Angie Strickland decided to move from their comfortable apartment in the West End of Richmond to Chimborazo Boulevard in Church Hill. Many theories circulated amongst their neighbors about their intentions for moving into Church Hill, including them being just another “white developer” trying to make some money or possibly working as undercover police. However, their goal was simply to learn how to be good neighbors in an area of high need, marked by crime, poverty, and unemployment.
After meeting many of their neighbors while shooting hoops and walking their dog, kids in the community began congregating on the Strickland’s front porch hoping to find something fun to do. Percy and Angie opened their home to these youth and invited them in to play games such as Uno and Go-Fish. Overtime the kids asked Percy and Angie for help understanding their school work. The Strickland’s home became a unique place for neighborhood kids to visit, providing a safe environment for them to learn and build relationships. The kids’ enthusiasm to visit the Strickland’s multiplied! More and more kids started filling the Strickland’s living room, dining room, and even bedrooms, excited to read and learn with their new neighbors.
At the time of the Strickland’s move to Church Hill, Percy was on staff with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at the University of Richmond. Percy and Angie shared stories and encounters they were having with college students who in turn decided to visit the Strickland’s house to see what life was like in the city. Additional friends of the Strickland’s and founding board members, Alexandra Spitzer, David and Tammy Lemon, Janice Stewart, Ti-Ying Lee, and Jen Tucker, assisted with organizing and mobilizing tutoring resources. The zeal of the Church Hill youth combined with the hospitality of the Strickland’s and many eager volunteers launched the official start of Church Hill Activities and Tutoring (CHAT) in February of 2002.
At the core of CHAT, tutoring takes place on Monday & Tuesday evenings for youth between the ages of 4 – 18. CHAT has grown to include many other activities including life skills cooking and woodworking classes, Church Hill Exercise (CHEX), and Bible Studies (Young Men’s Academy and Ladies of Virtue and Excellence). During the summer CHAT is in full swing providing employment opportunities for select youth and exciting field trips. These field trips include a camping trip, beach trip, King’s Dominion trip, and a trip to SB2Dub, a week long sports and adventure camp in Pennsylvania. These events promote CHAT’s mission to create environments that foster learning and healthy relationship through which the lives of at-risk youth can be transformed for the better.
CHAT seeks to be much more than just a program but a community of people who sincerely care for one another’s needs. The Strickland’s home has exemplified this vision. Over 150 active volunteers have tutored in their home. In addition, students from local universities and medical schools have become apart of the community by residing with the Strickland’s for a summer or year. In 2003 Jeremiah Winters lived with the Strickland’s his first year after graduating from the University of Richmond, sharing a room with Tamon, a 12-year old CHAT participant who the Strickland’s were caring for. Five years later, Jeremiah is now a homeowner in Church Hill and a Board Member with CHAT and Tamon is a legal son of the Strickland’s. This is just one of the many examples of CHAT’s unique community which today has more than 12 families living in the neighborhood and opening their home for CHAT events.
CHAT’s tutoring program has seen rapid growth and today serves over 85 youth in the Church Hill region. College students, business employees and owners, retirees, teachers, neighbors and many more are volunteering their time teaching these youth. In February 2007, CHAT acquired an additional Church Hill property to accommodate for its growth. This home, referred to as the “Lighthouse,” has become CHAT’s home base of activity. The Lighthouse provides more space for CHAT to be a guiding “light” in the community and additional housing for interns and volunteers.
In August 2007, another new initiative birthed out of CHAT known as the Church Hill Academy (www.churchhillacademy.org). Active CHAT participants attending the local high school were given an opportunity to attend this private high school. Ten 10th grade students along with three full-time teachers started this new school. The promise to help CHAT participants succeed academically and vocationally has led to the creation of the Academy.
CHAT is looking forward to the road ahead. One goal of CHAT is to see its participants become leaders in the community and in this organization. There are many ways CHAT is working to achieve this goal. One step CHAT is currently taking to achieve this goal is pairing high-school interns with younger CHAT participants during tutoring as part of the summer internship program. In addition, CHAT continues to see a need for increased educational resources for more and more students. CHAT hopes to see students graduate from high-school and have an opportunity to pursue and succeed at the University level. The Academy is preparing to increase in size to accommodate for this need. Also, CHAT’s high school summer internship is focusing on teaching entrepreneurship and having students create microenterprises in hopes of preparing students for the future. Altogether, CHAT will continue to be a community united through its mission to care for its neighbors with a vision of molding its youth to be responsible and virtuous leaders of the future.
