Our History
Built from community. Guided by purpose. Focused on the future.
Who We Are
Tomaro’s C.H.A.N.G.E. was founded in October 2009 with one mission: to stand in the gap for underserved youth, families, and communities who too often face barriers to emotional support, resources, and essential care.
Our early work grew from compassion and urgency. We provided direct support to communities across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, St. Maarten, and Cameroon, meeting immediate needs with dignity and commitment. Our efforts included supporting homeless teen parents, providing food, clothing, hygiene products, school supplies, and stepping in during crisis moments, such as funding transportation for a child receiving cancer treatment. We supplied formula, diapers, and clothing to families in need. We donated books to children’s hospitals and partnered with local organizations to extend our reach even further.
As the needs of our communities shifted, we expanded from grassroots outreach into a behavioral and mental health support organization serving children, teens, adults, and families throughout Delaware. We offered individual, family, and group therapy; positive peer intervention; coping and emotional regulation skills; mindfulness education; mentorship; and specialized support for autistic youth and their families. Throughout this growth, our core commitment remained the same: to meet families where they are, reduce barriers to care, and provide accessible services through insurance, sliding scale fees, and financial support for those with limited resources.
Our Evolution Into a New Model
Today, Tomaro’s C.H.A.N.G.E. operates as a hybrid, community-centered wellness hub dedicated to the well-being of youth and families. Instead of relying on a traditional office setting, we bring support directly to the community, offering services in schools, libraries, community centers, homes, virtual spaces, and through mobile pop-up wellness sites.
This evolution reflects what our communities have shown us:
Healing is stronger and more sustainable when care is accessible, culturally rooted, and woven into the everyday spaces where families live, learn, and grow.
Our Story
As our work has evolved, so has the meaning behind our name.
C.H.A.N.G.E., originally Creating Healing, Answers, & Necessary Guidance for Excellence, now represents Community Healing Advancing New Growth & Empowerment.
This updated acronym honors the direction we are moving in and the communities that continue to shape us. It reflects our commitment to:
-
a hybrid and mobile model of care
-
wellness that is rooted in the community
-
accessible support for youth and families
-
culturally responsive and identity-affirming practices
-
leadership development and personal growth
-
partnerships that strengthen the village and expand our reach
At the heart of this shift is a simple truth: wellness is not just a service. It is a shared responsibility—one we embrace alongside the families and communities we serve.
Future Rooted Transformation Counseling™ (FRTC)
Future Rooted Transformation Counseling™ (FRTC) is our guiding framework, a culturally centered, future-focused model that shapes every level of care we offer. It supports personal development, emotional wellness, cultural identity, academic success, and family connection.
The FRTC pathway moves through four powerful stages:
Rooted
Grounding youth and families in emotional awareness, cultural identity, belonging, safety, and stability.
This foundation prepares individuals for healing, growth, and healthy connections.
Growth
Developing essential emotional and social skills, communication, coping strategies, mindfulness, conflict resolution, problem-solving, and family harmony. Growth builds confidence and strengthens relationships.
Transformation
Families and youth begin practicing new skills in real-life situations, creating meaningful shifts in thinking, behavior, relationships, and personal stories. This is where old patterns change and new, empowered identities take shape.
Claiming the Future
Youth and families step into leadership, resilience, adaptability, academic readiness, and purpose-driven living.
This stage prepares them to navigate life with confidence and clarity.
How FRTC Shapes Every Service We Offer
Non-Therapeutic Wellness Programs
Hybrid individual youth and family wellness and empowerment sessions, youth wellness circles, teen empowerment, coping skills, mindfulness, cultural identity work, parent groups, family circles, and leadership development.
Clinical Therapy
Hybrid youth therapy, family therapy, parent support therapy, school-based sessions, and trauma-informed care are delivered in community settings or virtually.
Education & Enrichment (A to Z Program)
Cultural education, social-emotional learning, academic support, creative activities, identity-building, enrichment, and movement-based wellness.
Community Outreach & Partnerships
Pop-up wellness experiences, library collaborations, school partnerships, community center programming, and culturally grounded youth and family support.
Family Work
Parent coaching, communication strengthening, relationship healing, and family-focused guidance rooted in cultural and community values.
The Therapeutic & Coaching Models Behind FRTC
While FRTC is an original, community-developed framework created by Tomaro’s C.H.A.N.G.E., it is informed by four evidence-informed approaches that strengthen its foundation.
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)
* Focuses on strengths rather than problems
* Helps families recognize “what’s working”
* Builds quick, achievable steps toward improvement
SFBT influences the Growth phase of FRTC, empowering families to move forward with clarity and confidence.
Future-Oriented Therapy
* Encourages youth to imagine and build the future they want
* Reduces the emotional weight of past trauma
* Aligns with the “Claiming the Future” stage
This approach helps youth see themselves beyond current challenges.
Narrative Therapy
* Encourages youth and families to rewrite harmful personal and cultural stories
* Strengthens identity, empowerment, and resilience
* Replaces survival narratives with possibility
Narrative Therapy supports the Rooted and Transformation stages by helping families reclaim their stories.
Coaching-Integrated Therapy
* Provides structure, accountability, and focused action
* Bridges learning with real-life practice
* Fits naturally into youth circles, parent groups, and enrichment programs
This approach helps youth and families turn insight into action.
In Summary
Tomaro’s C.H.A.N.G.E. is a village-centered wellness hub built on history, heart, and a commitment to making emotional wellness, cultural identity, education, and family support accessible to every child and family.
Through the Future Rooted Transformation Counseling™ framework, we continue to evolve as a trusted space where youth and families can become rooted, grow, transform, and confidently claim the future they deserve.