Meet-a-Mom Jen Tacbas!

Meet Jen! Jen and her family now live in Waverly but called Brunswick home prior! Jen started an amazing nonprofit called Great Books for Kids which brings new books into schools all with the mission of raising child literacy. Learn more about Jen and don’t forget to check out her favorite place to shop for her kiddos (fits her nonprofit calling!)

What is your name? Jen Tacbas

What Golden Isle do you call home and how long have you lived there? I live in Waverly, GA now. I moved here from Brunswick.

What do you love about living here? Waverly is a beautiful and peaceful area! Our neighborhood is full of bike paths and trails that we love to explore before our homeschool day begins. We love that Waverly is near all our family’s favorite places to visit – Jekyll Island, Saint Simons Island, Jacksonville and Savannah. We have a close-knit community here and love how everyone is quick to help each other out, support one another in their endeavors and especially support our neighborhood’s children.

How many children do you have and what are their names and ages?1 daughter – Logan, age 8

What’s one of your favorite mom resources (websites, groups, stores, etc.) in the area? This year is my first year homeschooling our daughter, and I have loved being a community member on many local, state and national Facebook groups that are just full of great recommendations and resources! Glynn County Homeschoolers is a great local group page, and my overall favorite is Sonlight Homeschool Moms for parents who are working with any aspect of the Sonlight curriculum. Everyone has been so welcoming and helpful in ALL the homeschool groups I’m a member of on Facebook.

What do you do for work and what’s the best part of your job? I am a small business owner and the founder of a child literacy nonprofit. My full-time job is a web design and marketing freelancer. The best part of my job is I get to work with business professionals and small businesses located all around the country and in vastly different industries! I am always learning something new, which I LOVE! I have worked with scientists, real estate agents, beef cattle ranchers, authors, health insurance agents, photographers, law enforcement, nonprofits and more! I do a deep dive into learning about a client’s industry and business so I am able to create a website and marketing materials that perfectly illustrate who my client is and what they do.

I also started a nonprofit called Great Books for Kids! Its mission is to provide free, high-quality books to elementary-aged children in southeast Georgia for their homes. Child literacy has been important to me ever since my daughter, Logan, was born. It became my passion 2 years ago when Logan came home from school and told me some kids in her class said they don’t have many books at home. After confirming this to be true with her teacher, I began purchasing one book a month for my daughter’s classmates. Last school year, I wanted to do more, so I began purchasing one book a month for my daughter’s entire grade. After seeing the positive impact the new books were having on the children, I expanded my mission and began purchasing one book a month for the children in 2 grades, which was about 100 kids served each month. Last year, with the help of my generous family and friends, I donated over $6800 worth of books to the 1st and 2nd graders at Woodbine Elementary School!! At the end of the school year, I felt a calling to take my child literacy mission to the next level, and the nonprofit Great Books for Kids was born! This year, I will be serving children in Glynn and Camden Counties with the goal of continually expanding my reach. I cannot wait to see how many children this mission can positively impact – the sky’s the limit!!

What’s one thing people might be surprised to know about you? I was born hearing impaired and depend on reading lips to hear and understand people when I’m speaking to them in person. I currently have half of my hearing in each ear and would like to get hearing aids (for the first time!) sometime within the next year. The last year and a half with all this mask wearing has been a huge challenge for me because I cannot read anyone’s lips!

What’s one way you relax when you need to “unwind”? I’m going to be honest – with all on my plate, I have a really hard time relaxing. There’s always something to do! I need to be better about getting intentional with some “me” time a few days a week. I enjoy sitting outside on my front porch with a cup of coffee in the morning, going for a walk with my daughter around the neighborhood, or if I have more time, sitting in a chair on the beach, breathing in the salt air and listening to Hawaiian music. (My husband was born and raised in Hawaii.)

What’s your best mom hack?My favorite time management hack is: if a task takes less than 2 minutes to complete, I take care of it right then instead of putting it off for later. I get so much little stuff done in a day, and it makes me feel really productive and motivated. It also keeps my house clean!