The non-profit organization provides food and resources to underprivileged teenagers

NORMAN, Oklahoma. (KFOR) — The Beacon Project is just a short walk from Norman High School and tucked away in a cozy little building. Angela Jimenez-Calhoun, a former math teacher, saw a need she couldn’t turn away from.

“As good as Norman is, there’s still an underside where people are undeserving and people struggle. She saw it in the students, and they needed help. She took the initiative and helped the students here.” – said Annette Chavarria.

The Beacon Project was born in 2019, but Angela started serving students from home long before the nonprofit was created. The Beacon Cafe is a place where students can get a free hot meal during their school lunch break or grab a bite to eat after school – a place to study, relax and just be kids.

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“Being able to help someone and the students feel better, leave with a full stomach, they don’t have to go to bed hungry,” Chavarria said.

There is also free Wi-Fi, a washing machine and tumble dryer, and tutoring. A house next door stores boxes upon boxes of food to send home with hungry teenagers. In addition, there is a Christmas gift program, as well as back-to-school assistance, including the expensive graduation of a student in their final year of high school.

“They get royalties,” Chavarria said. “They take pictures, just like graduation.”

Senior photos to capture important moments for some teenagers who would otherwise go without this staple senior product.

Chavarria is a work-study student at the University of Oklahoma and spends many hours at The Beacon Café as a faculty member. She nominated Jiminez-Calhoun for Pay It 4Ward.

$400 from First Fidelity Bank, News 4 and Chavarria surprised her with a Pay It 4Ward award.

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“There are a lot of teenagers there,” Jimenez-Calhoun said. “They don’t ask for help. They don’t ask for help. This does not always mean that they are homeless or neglected. This is not always the story. Sometimes everyone in their family works and they work too to help pay the bills, but it just isn’t enough to get through the month. Sometimes they live with grandparents. Sometimes they live with their siblings. Sometimes it is they who receive custody of their brothers and sisters.”

Too heavy a load for growing shoulders.

“We want them to know that there are options and opportunities for them. Not having enough food shouldn’t be a barrier to graduating from high school, or not having enough shoes and socks, school supplies or backpacks and simply having essentials like deodorant, toothpaste, or a toothbrush. It’s not something kids should worry about.”

Here they can be empowered and find a sense of belonging, confidence, dignity and worth.

“We just want them to feel seen,” Jimenez-Calhoun said. “That’s why we’re here. It’s a comprehensive approach to serving teenagers, and we try to meet them where they are.”

For more information about the Beacon project click here.

Pay it 4Ward is sponsored by First Fidelity Bank.

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