Chef Up North

10/07/2026

Today, Chef Up North celebrates our Co-Founder, LaTasha Monroe, as she steps into her new role as President of the Board of Directors for Parent Villages.

Whether it’s through food, education, advocacy, or simply showing up when people need it, service has always been part of who we are.

And for Tash, this isn’t where the work begins.

She was here before the title.

Congratulations, Madam President. Keep serving. Keep leading. 💪🏽🔥

She was here before the title. Parent Villages is proud to announce LaTasha Monroe as President of the Board of Directors.

Many may already know LaTasha as the writer of “All Children,” the Parent Villages theme song. But her connection to Parent Villages reaches back to its earliest days, with years of service both behind the scenes and in leadership, including serving as Vice President, supporting programs and events, and advocating alongside families navigating the special education process.

Her leadership is grounded in more than 20 years of work with young people and communities, a decade as a K–8 educator, a Bachelor of Science in Human Services from Springfield College, and a Master of Education from Elizabeth City State University.

LaTasha is also Co-Founder of Counted Me Out Productions and Chef Up North, and creator of No Ghostwriter Needed!!!, a hip-hop and ELA program connecting culture, literacy, and youth voice.

For years, she has been comfortable contributing without being at the center of the story.

Today, she steps forward.

Not as someone newly arriving, but as someone who has been part of the work, the growth, and the village for years. As President, LaTasha will bring that same commitment into this next chapter. Working alongside the Board and organizational leadership to strengthen Parent Villages, protect its mission, and help guide the organization forward.

The Village Continues — because the next generation still needs a village.

10/04/2026

THOROUGHBREDS | A TASTE OF LIFE 🎬 Build the life. Grow through the process. And make sure you actually live it.

We’re learning that elevation isn’t only about what you accomplish — it’s also about what you allow yourself to experience along the way.

Peace. Love. Health. Generational Wealth.

Journey of Renewal | Myrtle Beach

10/04/2026

THOROUGHBREDS | A TASTE OF LIFE: Renewal gave us more than rest. It gave us revelation. A reminder to step outside of what’s familiar. Try something new. Go somewhere different. Taste something you’ve never tasted. Experience more of what this life has to offer while you still have the opportunity to experience it.

Because building a life shouldn’t come at the expense of actually living it.

We’re learning to live to the maximum—not through excess, but through intention. To protect what matters. To create memories. To take care of ourselves. To build something that will outlive us. And most importantly, to enjoy each other while we’re both still here to do it.

Our definition of wealth has become increasingly clear:

Peace. Love. Health. Generational Wealth.

Everything else has to fit somewhere beneath those four things.

Thoroughbreds was another new experience for us, but the bigger takeaway from Myrtle Beach has been much deeper:

Don’t spend so much of your life preparing for someday that you forget to live today.

Destination: Myrtle Beach — CMOP’s Journey of Renewal.

09/29/2026

“Lift as you rise.” 🏀 Those words from Nancy Lieberman brought this chapter of Hall of Hope full circle.

What began with a young person watching, learning and taking it all in ends in that very same place — but after two days surrounded by mentorship, opportunity, competition, innovation and people willing to pour into the next generation.

That’s the heart of Hall of Hope.

Rise. And bring somebody with you.

🎥 Counted Me Out Productions

09/27/2026

The work looks different when you come back renewed. We came home from Myrtle Beach with a clearer vision for what we’re building — and stepped right back into the work at Hall of Hope.

For CMOP, this season has been about more than creating content. It’s about building relationships, aligning with people who see the value in what we bring to the table, and creating partnerships where storytelling can be part of something bigger.

Hall of Hope was another reminder that we’re moving in the right direction.

New rooms. New relationships. Bigger vision. Same foundation.

When they count you out… We count you in.

09/24/2026

At some point, you have to ask yourself: When did living become something you keep putting off?

We spend so much time handling responsibilities, chasing the next goal, meeting expectations, and becoming everything life requires of us that it can be easy to forget that our lives belong to us too.

This summer, we chose differently.

We made room for good food, new experiences, laughter, spontaneity—and the kind of moments that don’t need to accomplish anything other than making you feel alive.

Because balance isn’t something you find after all the work is finished.

You make room for it while the work is still happening.

Life is a carnival.
Don’t forget to enjoy the ride.

Destination: Myrtle Beach
CMOP’s Journey of Renewal — Part 2

09/24/2026

We don’t just tell stories. We show up for them.
Hall of Hope gave us another opportunity to do what Counted Me Out Productions was built to do — capture culture, community, mentorship, and the moments that remind young people what’s possible.

From behind the camera to supporting the experience itself, this was bigger than content for us. It was about being present, contributing, and documenting something worth remembering.

When they count you out… We count you in.

09/02/2026

Confident. Committed. Resilient. 🏀
Reps become habits.
Habits become confidence.

A moment from The Pathways Foundation’s Hall of Hope x Klinic Kids

🎥 Counted Me Out Productions

09/01/2026

Before the competition, before the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, before the awards and celebration, there were young people being challenged to listen, learn, work together — and lock in.

This moment came as, part of The Pathways Foundation’s experience — a two-day gathering built around mentorship, access, education, competition, and community.

was proud to support the experience in more than one way.

Through Chef Up North, we served as a lunch sponsor for the young people and mentors. And through Counted Me Out Productions, we played a significant role in capturing and shaping the visual story of the two-day experience.

What started as an opportunity to support the event grew into something much larger — and we’re grateful to The Pathways Foundation for trusting CMOP with that responsibility.

For us, this first piece had to begin with the foundation:

the kids, the mentors, the discipline, the instruction, the access, and the work.

Over the next several days, we’ll be sharing more of Hall of Hope through the CMOP lens.

We start here.

🎥 Counted Me Out Productions
🍽️ Chef Up North — Lunch Sponsor
In collaboration with The Pathways Foundation

When they count you out, we count you in.