Reach One Teach One is an Early Intervention program organized with the mission of providing Chattanooga's youth-wide opportunities to explore and gain insight into their community, and career opportunities and to develop a positive outlook for the rest of their life.
Early Intervention strategies afford children a head-start in areas that are typically delayed by poverty and inaccessibility.
Reginald Yearby, a lifetime Chattanooga resident, started Reach One Teach One UCA to give positive role models to the underprivileged kids of his area. At a young age, he was influenced to get involved in drugs, which eventually led to a 90-month conviction. While incarcerated, Yearby was inspired to help at-risk kids not end up like him.
His idea was to start a cycle of reaching one kid who would reach one more, and so on. He has achieved these goals by teaching kids life skills that will help them to be the best version of themselves. That's how Reach One Teach One was born.
"Being incarcerated, I was thinking of ways to change the narrative in our community and give kids positive role models,"Yearby explained. "Society is quick to say our kids are bad, but really, they are misunderstood and they make bad choices."
Their primary focus is giving young girls and boys skills to be leaders and introducing them to new experiences and mindsets to give them a upper hand in life.
Every year they have a series of events the are open and free to the public which include the Back to School Bash in August, a Feed The Homeless vent in November where they partner with the different school to give out food baskets to those in need, and a Day of Service on MLK Day.
To learn more and find out how to donate to and support the mission of Reach One Teach One, visit their website tomorrowpreneurs.wixsite.com/my-site, on Facebook at facebook.com/reachone.teachone.587, via email at rotoyearby@gmail.com, or by phone at (423) 313-3120.