As all great ideas begin, the Ultimate Tailgate Party was created over a cold one with friends on a back porch in Louisiana. UTP is a non-profit annual fundraiser supporting the hosting organization, the Exchange Club, programs of service:
We come together in order to eliminate child abuse in all forms, to foster the health and growth of a strong family unit, to promote Americanism, to strengthen the education of our children and to give ourselves in service to our community.
Over the past 10+ years the Exchange Club of West St. Tammany has given over $669,150 to the community, supporting a variety of crucial programs and services.
This year the game is a little different. When the whole Community is impacted those less fortunate get impacted even more, especially the Youth! Exchange Club’s Ultimate Tailgate Party is a fundraiser designed to fund programs that assist these Youth, so this year we need your help more than ever, they need your help!
The primary beneficiaries of this year’s Ultimate Tailgate Party are the Children’s Advocacy Center – Hope House and the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), both of which are instrumental in protecting and supporting vulnerable children in our community.
CAC Hope House is committed to breaking the cycle of child abuse by offering a pathway to recovery and justice for victims, as well as educational outreach. With the funds raised from the UTP, CAC Hope House will provide trauma-focused therapy to abused children, ensuring they receive the help they need at no cost. In 2023 alone, CAC Hope House conducted 2,287 therapy sessions for 162 child victims.
CASA, a program of the Youth Service Bureau, trains and supervises volunteers to advocate for abused and neglected children in court, helping judges find safe, permanent homes for these children. The proceeds from UTP will support the training of these vital volunteers. Last year, CASA had 101 active volunteers, conducted pre-service training for 27 new volunteers (inclusive of volunteer screening and in-person instruction), and offered in-service training to 59 volunteers (with each active volunteer mandated to complete 12 hours per year).
The Turkey Train was started by Rev. Alred N. Young Jr. and “Pistol” Pete Maravich in Covington, La. in November of 1989. The two friends saw that underprivileged people in the local community struggled to provide a Thanksgiving meal for their families. They began with a station wagon, and a few complete meals that were delivered to the families on Thanksgiving morning. When “Pistol” Pete passed away, Rev. Young asked other community leaders to help him keep what had become known as “The Turkey Train” going. Other community partners, like the Exchange Club of St. Tammany and Debra Peters joined the effort, and this allowed more families to be blessed with a holiday meal. Eventually the much needed service grew from the station wagon to 100 turkey dinners a year. Over the years the effort has continued to grow and bless more and more families. Last year, 650 families were supported with turkey dinners in Covington and the surrounding communities.
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