MISSION & PURPOSE

Taproots’ mission is to provide social and educational outreach prevention, life skills, parenting and cultural arts programs to promote positive life and health choices among at risk youth, adults and families.

Taproots strives to improve the quality of life by empowering youth, adults and families with knowledge and skills that promote responsible decision making, healthy life style choices, positive family systems, and non-violent conflict resolution and problem solving strategies to counter cycles of abuse, violence, poverty, disease and victimization.

HISTORY

Over thirty years ago Sister Monica Cahill, a BVM educator, dreamed of the development of a program that would reach out to young parents and help them to learn the value of healthy self-esteem, the importance of their children’s early years and the need for becoming responsible parents and citizens. She dreamed of helping them to finish school, find a job and provide low cost day care for their children.

As her dream began to unfold, she named the program TAPROOTS, an acronym for Teen and Adolescent Parents Realizing Ongoing Orientation Towards Success. She chose the name because the root of the plant that goes deepest into the soil and draws the richest nourishment from the earth is the taproot.  The name symbolizes how through nurturing and support, the quality of life experienced by the child and parent can be improved. This symbol of nurture and support represented the goals of Taproots. Like the watering of a plant, TAPROOTS provides services to enhance the lives of youth, adults and families.

Taproots was founded 1978 and incorporated as a not-for-profit organization in the State of Illinois September 18, 1979. The organization received its determination by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit in 1980. For the first 18 years of its existence, Taproots primarily operated as a drop-in center for teen-age parents and a licensed day care center for their children. Through Taproots, adolescent parents learned the value of self esteem, the importance of child rearing and how to become responsible parents and citizens.  Case management services were also provided.

During the decade of the 90’s, it was determined that the need for more preventive strategies was too pressing to ignore. As a result, Taproots shifted from its initial services to providing social and educational outreach prevention, life skills, parenting and cultural arts programs with a healthy living theme. Today, hundreds are served each year through our three core programs