INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — At a sell-out event at the Big Water Grille on May 20, Tahoe Family Solutions celebrated 20 years of providing key resources and skills to families in our community.

Over 90 close supporters of TFS came together to hear about the nonprofit’s work over the last three years, and a little bit about the history of the organization that began in 1994 as Children’s Cabinet at Incline Village.

Current TFS Chair John Iannucci recognized all of the previous chairs and thanked them for their service.

He also summarized how every TFS program has experienced significant gains in the past three years.

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For example, TFS Mental Health Services have ramped up to handle a 30 percent annual increase in requests for service.

Camp Explore has moved from 20 summer campers to over 100 last summer, and from a two-week program to a six-week effort this summer.

Homework Help Club has moved from 12 IES students to over 40, and now encompasses grades 1-5, as opposed to just grades 1-2 three years ago.

Iannucci also told the crowd that TFS’s collaborative program with United Way of Northern Nevada and the IRS — Volunteers in Tax Assistance (VITA) — prepared a record 142 tax returns for local families, driving $204,948 in returns back into this community.

Guest speaker Leslie Hermann, K-12 administrator for Incline schools, then spoke about the importance of community and school partnerships like Homework Help Club.

TFS Psychiatrist Dr. Kristin Hestdalen spoke to the challenges of providing affordable mental health care in rural areas and the unique model TFS had forged to begin to work with this problem.

TFS Board Vice Chair and Chair of the Annual Dinner Elyse Gut relayed that “the annual dinner would raise over $25,000 for TFS programs and serves as the kick off to our annual campaign. The goal for that campaign is $75,000 and we are halfway there.”

Tahoe Family Solutions is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation and with the objective to provide key resources and enhance skills for families in the Tahoe Basin.

For information about TFS programs and services, or to donate, visit http://www.tahoefamily.org or call Leslie Blunden at 775-298-0204.

“All contributions will stay in our community to help families in need,” past TFS chair Polly Wolfe said.

Robin Glasgow is executive director of Tahoe Family Solutions. He may be reached at 775-298-0203.