Today we’d like to introduce you to LaTara Thompkins.
Hi LaTara, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My story starts with me as a little girl growing up in the heart of Oak Cliff. I grew up in Singing Hills, had an amazing childhood, working parents, family and friends that all contributed to who I am today. I was always busy doing something, from church activities and programs at St. John Baptist Church in Dallas to playing tennis every summer and spending time at the recreation center. I attended Dallas ISD schools, graduated from the High School for Health Professions and matriculated to the best HBCU in the nation, Prairie View A & M University. Attending Prairie View further affirmed who I am today and was the absolute best time of my life. I received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology with aspirations of becoming a Physical Therapist. That was and still is a highly competitive industry so I graduated and worked for the City of Dallas as a Health Inspector for seven years. During this time, my husband and I started a family. As our family grew, I decided to become a stay at home mom. By now, I’m in graduate school working on a dual Master’s Degree in Business and Healthcare Administration at Texas Woman’s University. This is when my entrepreneurial journey began.
I have always had a love for children. When I was at home with my children, as a stay at home, I always ended up caring for other people’s children. One day I looked up and I had seven children in my house that I was taking care of. This love for children manifested into me opening my own licensed childcare center in Desoto, TX in 2004. As I picked children up after school, I saw a great need in the community to provide after school programming for youth and teens. I noticed kids in the streets, in pacts, walking in front of cars, and they just didn’t have anything productive to do after school. Parents were at work and the kids were old enough to walk home. There were countless times I saw close misses with kids being irresponsible in the streets. I prayed and asked God “what can I do for these kids?” He answered and gave me the vision for a nonprofit I founded, N.I.A. Kids Youth Service Organization, Inc. also known as N.I.A. Kids Center for the Performing Arts.
N.I.A. stands for Nurture. Inspire. and Affirm. In Swahili, it means “purpose.” Our number one goal is to Nurture Inspire and Affirm Kids and we believe that every child has a purpose. N.I.A. Kids Center for the Performing Arts is a nonprofit organization and was founded in 2005. We have served the DeSoto and the Best Southwest community for more than 15 years. N.I.A. Kids was created to reach youth and teenagers and to provide quality programs and services that empower them to realize their full potential. We achieve this through providing performing arts training, arts education, community outreach, youth development, and theatrical productions. We believe in excellence and instill in all youth and teens the importance of consistency and perseverance in their pursuit to success.
I am humbled by the love and support N.I.A. Kids has received throughout the years. As the Founder, I was featured in Ebony Magazine in 2010 and have received countless community service awards. N.I.A. Kids has also been featured on Channel 8 News – After The Bell where they highlighted after school programs in the community. We were also a featured guest on Good Morning Texas. N.I.A. Kids has also produced and performed more than 35 theatrical productions and events since our inception in 2005. I have never done it on my own. I have been blessed to have an amazing team that has just as much love for N.I.A. Kids as I do. Together we have been able to make this impact in the community and hundreds of lives of youth and teens. More information about our programs can be found at www.niakids.org.
Throughout the years as an entrepreneur and Founder, I’ve experienced the highs and the lows. I’ve persevered and have seen how others persevere and find solutions and keep going. I am inspired by the strength and resilience of the female. Not just entrepreneurial women and females, but females from every walk of life who keep going and holding it together in spite of the obstacles they face. For years I had a vision of starting a women empowerment apparel brand and did not know how to do it logistically. When COVID hit in 2020, God lined it all up and I started Soldier Girl, LLC, also known as Soldier Girl Brand. This brand is about female empowerment, self-esteem, and perseverance. www.soldiergirlbrand.com
My hope is to inspire others to do what is in their heart to do. I will tell anyone if God has put something in your spirit, recognize it and pray for Him to give you direction. When it is time, He will bring forth what He has purposed for you to accomplish in His name. Do it afraid and in faith.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
No, it has not been a smooth road. As a nonprofit, funding, donations, grants, and partnerships are what sustain the organization. When you serve the community, you need community support. That has been our struggle as it is with countless nonprofits. For our community of youth and teens, no one is knocking down our doors to provide money for programming for our kids so I have had to be creative and figure things out along the way. The challenges and struggles have made me stronger and more knowledgeable. It has also forced me out of my comfort zone. It’s not always easy asking, but I do it for the kids. When I get emails from parents and grandparents who want their kids in our program but they don’t have money, I swallow my pride and find a way. I ask for help. Many people think if something is meant, it’s going to be easy. I believe there are blessings in the struggles.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about N.I.A. Kids Center for the Performing Arts?
With N.I.A. Kids, I want people to know the tremendous impact the organization makes in the community and how great the need is. We are the only organization in our metroplex that provides this type of continuous programming for African American youth and teens. Our kids need opportunities for their gifts, talents, and creativity to be cultivated in a space where they feel safe and where they feel they belong. We just wrapped our summer theater program which is our most demanded program. For seven weeks, youth and teens attend all day and get a rotation of dance, drama, and vocal that culminates into a professional theatrical production. This was our first production since COVID hit in 2020 and it was amazing. We strive to give them excellent, professional experiences. Their show was filmed by a professional and live-streamed. We try to expose them to as much as possible so they can see they are worth it and the sky is the limit if you work hard and don’t quit. They leave with a sense of self-empowerment and achievement.
Switching to Soldier Girl Brand, I want the brand to speak to women. I want women to wake up and grab apparel that expresses who they are or how they are feeling that day. There have been times I knew my day would be challenging and I grab my “Power Through” sweatshirt or “Actually, I Can” T-shirt. Soldier Girl is a state of mind. It’s not a brand that hops on what’s popular. It’s about empowerment and strength. This sets us apart from others. We also customize t-shirts for special occasions and events, book releases, and organizations. We can be contacted via email at soldiergirlbrand@gmail.com or through the chat on our website.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
People can support through donations and partnerships. We are a participating organization for North Texas Giving Day on September 23, 2021, 6:00a – 11:59pm. We would love for people to donate to our organization at www.northtexasgivingday.org/
Contact Info:
- Email: info@niakids.org
- Website: www.niakids.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nia_kids_talent
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/niakids
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/niakids
- Other: https://www.soldiergirlbrand.com
