Their chance came after both had moved to Raleigh. Betty Anne was tennis coach at Peace College, and would observe children from Halifax Court strolling by the school. Her heart was more drawn to them than to her own team. Nancy was in a master’s program at NC State and interested in working with high-risk children.

The pastor at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Raleigh, a long-time friend, knew about the other program in Lynchburg. The Westminster Foundation and the Presbyterian Urban Council of Raleigh supported the initial summer enrichment program, which included 12 children primarily from Halifax Court, with funds and volunteers. Parents were enthusiastic and the program received immediate support from the local community.

For the first 10 – 12 years, Loaves and Fishes took referrals from teachers at Stough Elementary School and worked closely with them. The program was moved to Milner in 1990 due to a need for more space, and eventually began to target high-risk children at Poe Elementary Montessorie School.

Over 20 years, the Loaves and Fishes board has added more programs to accommodate the needs of the children as they got older, only to go back and refine the programs after the first children finished high school.

"Our primary change," recalls Nancy, "was from early intervention to early and continued intervention. We shifted our focus from summer activities designed to keep children off the streets to a year-round comprehensive curriculum."

Throughout the years, Loaves and Fishes has maintained a holistic approach with substantial individual attention. The program is now designed for children to enter LAF as kindergartners and finish as high school graduates. The organization even has a Family Support Coordinator on staff who is responsible for addressing pressing needs within the families of the children who attend the program.

Is the program successful? The founders believe so.

"The most important thing we do is provide a stable, caring presence in the children’s lives and help them not to give up hope," says Betty Anne. "If we can get each child to believe in himself or herself and stay in school, we have done our job."

"What we enjoy most is watching the children do something that gives them pride and connecting with something that gives them hope for the future," says Nancy. "We are a stable presence in the lives of these children, helping them to become contributing members of society."

In the future, Betty Anne and Nancy plan to continue doing exactly what they are doing now: bringing about positive change, little by little.