Transcript

Location: Hope Restores 231 Copeland Ave.

I’m talking about Hope Restores at 231 Copeland Avenue. We are located at the bottom of the viaduct, it’s a big brown house on the corner. I came to La Crosse over, like, four years ago, and when I first came we were just in different situations and money wasn’t always there, and I remember coming here and I had the same clothes that I had from last year. And everyone didn’t know that but me, but I felt how that felt and it was not very comfortable in what I was wearing. I just wore the clothes because that’s what I had. 

And so, reflecting on that and being in different spaces in life, when I got the opportunity to be a part of something bigger, we created the Back to School event. Which is an event for teens by teens. So we go into the store and are helping kids finding clothes for school and finding their style and picking out shoes and they’re first day outfit and they’re just so excited. I think especially youth of color, we need to see community, we need to see that connection and so I guess a lot of the programs that I wanted to bring to Hope Restores were to show other African American youth that we do have a community who cares. My name is Chaya Davis and I am the President of Black Student Leaders as well as a community health worker and a member of this community.