Helping children thrive
Team members Chad Parker and Julia Denkmann support vital after-school programs that are closing the achievement gap.
Baker Tilly Wishes brings the resources of our firm and our people together to tackle big issues. Learn how two team members invest their time to help their neighbors.
Starting on the right path
When Chad Parker, supervisor in our Pennsylvania/West Virginia Commercial Tax practice, was asked to serve as the treasurer for the Bob Burdette Center, it wasn’t the first time a not-for-profit had requested his skillset.
“I’ve been offered so many volunteer treasurer positions that I have had to turn them down,” Chad said. “But I knew the Bob Burdette Center had an amazing mission, and I was so excited to be a part of it.”
The Bob Burdette Center, in Charleston, West Virginia, provides after-school and summer programming for at-risk children. With a commitment to eradicating childhood hunger, the center provides a safe learning environment, free meals, and engagement with positive role models like athletes and elected officials.
Operating out of four locations, the Bob Burdette Center also provides an all-day summer program.
“The summer program helps students develop essential life skills like gardening and canning,” Chad said. “The kids love to pick their own produce, and they don’t always have opportunities like this at home.”
Funding for the organization comes primarily from donations and grants, some of which require the organization to maintain a certain ratio of teachers to students. As a result, the organization’s only limitation to serving more children is having enough funding to hire more instructors.
The $10,000 Baker Tilly Wishes grant will go towards expanding their summer staff.
