Next Step to Success (NSTS) was founded on three core principles: all youth want to succeed, can succeed, and deserve a chance to earn success. In a city with a poverty rate almost twice the state average. The Next Step to Success program is empowering youth through mentoring to improve self-confidence and academic performance. NSTS aims to cut the rate in Norfolk by one-half within a generation. 

NSTS mentors teenagers with the goal of developing the character strengths, life skills, and success strategies (especially the “Success Sequence”) most closely associated with escaping poverty and dependency. Mentoring activities include visual and performing arts, cooking, gardening, etiquette tips, homework help, financial tutoring, STEM-skill development, career exploration, and eye-opening field trips. 

Through after-school and summer programs, NSTS empowers at-risk youth to build the independent, resilient character they will need to overcome their disadvantaged upbringing. 

“Our youth have tons of fun, but each activity has the purpose of raising personal expectations for what they can accomplish,” says Meaghan Campbell, NSTS director of giving and brand development.

Currently, NSTS operates on the campus of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Norfolk. During the academic year, students are picked up from school, immersed in character-building activities, fed a healthy dinner, and then driven safely home – all free of charge. Summertime offers a full-day version.

Construction of NSTS’s permanent home has begun at the site of the former DePaul Hospital. The 10-acre St. Vincent DePaul campus is set to open on January 4, 2027, and, when fully developed, will have space for 400 students.

TowneBank is honored to support the construction of the St. Vincent DePaul campus through a multi-year capital gift. In September, NSTS launched the TowneBank Million Dollar Mentorship Challenge to inspire additional community partners to help fund the new facility. Over the course of the 2024-2025 academic year and 2025 summer programs, everyone has the opportunity to support NSTS students, success coaches, staff, and volunteers as they perform one million minutes of mentorship. Each minute spent will count as one dollar toward the construction of the new building. 

“For far too long, Norfolk has been marked by concentrations of chronic, intergenerational poverty and dependency. Everyone always says that someone – ‘they’ – should do something about it (whoever ‘they’ are). Well, we decided that we are ‘they’,” says Chuck McPhillips, founder and chairman of NSTS. “We are so thankful to TowneBank for investing in our new facility and for encouraging others to embrace the power of mentorship through their time or treasure.” 

Following the example of success coaches and volunteers, NSTS’s students log mentorship minutes. Examples include helping a sibling with homework or teaching an athletic skill to younger kids. “Through this initiative, our NSTS student-mentors will learn to appreciate how little things they do each day can make a big difference in the lives of others, all while improving their own competence, self-confidence, and decision-making skills,” says Chuck.  

Businesses, nonprofits, and individuals are encouraged to support the TowneBank Mentorship Challenge through sponsorships or by volunteering as a mentor. To learn more about Next Step to Success or the TowneBank Million Dollar Mentorship Challenge, visit NextStepToSuccess.org.