CLARKSVILLE, TN. (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – YAIPAK Outreach continues to grow as it provides love, hope and support and makes a positive impact on the lives of those who are under-resourced in the community.

Sherry Nicholson founded the nonprofit organization in 2016. In May this year they will celebrate 10 years of service, and in 2025 they were able to impact more than 1.2 million people. YAIPAK is an acronym for “You Are Important: People Administering Kindness.”

For years, YAIPAK has served communities with four special programs. Be The Hope: Community Outreach, Foster Hope: Children in Trauma, Patriot Hope: Hope to Veterans and Rebuild Hope: Disaster Relief.

Now, YAIPAK is introducing two new programs, known as Olga and Josefina.

Olga initiative: Helping people into homes

“Olga is a 24-month program that has individual living (provided), and they are paired with a mentor. They pay a very small rent every month. What they don’t know is at the end of the program, they are going to get all of that back,” Nicholson said.

Nicholson added that it’s almost like a residence-based savings account. Plans are to expand the homes so they can help more ladies or men if need be. They work toward helping clients become emotionally healed, financially healed, physically healed and moving toward a positive future.

Josefina initiative: Healing trafficking victims

“Our Josefina initiative is our safehouse for young ladies who have been rescued from trafficking,” Nicholson said. It is small transitional house for four ladies. “It will be a 90-day transition, so we’ll be able to stabilize them and immediately start the trauma care and support they need to move into more long term.”

Nicholson said eventually they would like to have a long-term program. “But we’re going to start where we are and fine tune that, and make sure we are doing that with excellence. That’s important because we are dealing with lives that need to be healed,” she said.

Once that is successful, the organization is looking at land in hopes that YAIPAK can have a children’s ranch that will accommodate the littles that are being rescued. That would give the children a permanent place to grow up to be surrounded with the healing support that they need.   

Foster child help, community classes

The Rylie Room is part of the Project Foster Hope program. Children who are in the foster care programs in can go to YAIPAK and shop free every quarter for everything they need. Nicholson added that they are covering all of the foster children in Montgomery County.

There are also new classes being offered at the LeoLillie Training Center at the YAIPAK site. Nicholson said it is not only geared for those that the organization serves but also for the community. “We’re bringing in representatives from around the nation that have an expertise in specific things,” Nicholson said.

How you can support YAIPAK Outreach

Nicholson said they are looking for sponsors to help them with these new initiatives as well as their other initiatives at YAIPAK. ”We do need sponsors. We need those that would be willing to take that journey with us as supporters and donors, whether on a small scale or a bigger scale,” she said.

“Something that’s unique about YAIPAK is that we don’t take government money and federal funding, so we are very good stewards of our money so we can maximize it,” Nicholson said.

Online giving is available at www.yaipak.org, and with a dropdown box you can support one or all of the organization’s initiatives. Nicholson also encouraged those in the community who want to learn more about YAIPAK or have questions to stop by their warehouse for a tour. The YAIPAK Outreach warehouse is located at 1255 Paradise Hill Road.

Giving Grace, sponsored by Grace Dental, is a Clarksville Now series showcasing local nonprofit organizations.

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