Tara Detiveaux is the executive director and founder of Hope Extreme, a nonprofit that brings hope and opportunity to children and families in east Houma. Through after-school and summer programs, mentorship, food assistance and other support, she helps ensure children know they are seen, valued and loved.

After more than 20 years as an educator, Tara saw how deeply a child’s life outside the classroom affects their success inside it. A mission trip to El Salvador, along with opportunities to serve families closer to home, opened her eyes to needs in her own community. She realized many children needed more than programs. They needed people who would know them, believe in them and consistently show up for them.

At Hope Extreme, relationships come first. One day, Tara may be helping a child with homework. The next, she may be delivering food to a family, giving a child a ride home or finding a way to meet a need no other resource can address. That steady support has made Hope Extreme a trusted presence in the lives of many children, some of whom have grown up in the program and gone on to college and careers.

Tara knows hope begins with showing up, and she does exactly that. Over time, those individual relationships have become something bigger than any program or service. Hope Extreme has become a place where children know they have people in their corner and where families find a sense of belonging.