Answering a Calling: How Lamar Callahan Built Two Missions with One Heart

Tasha: [00:00:00] Good morning. Can you please introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your nonprofit origin story?

Lamar: Okay. Good morning everybody. I am Lamar Callahan, founder executive director of ASA-CORP.
We are a 5 0 1 C3 nonprofit. We have two programs. One is Cover Veterans, which is to provide transitional housing, mental and emotional counseling, and job assistance for homeless veterans here in Tampa, Florida. And my five-year goal is to take that nationwide. Yes, I am a disabled veteran myself, but anyway.
Our other program is tutorsforyou.org, and what we do is we provide professional live online tutoring for families for simply [00:01:00] $5 an hour. And we do this worldwide. We have well over 100 teachers, not students, but 100 teachers to provide our tutoring. Awesome. I’m a former teacher myself and as a teacher, I used to recommend tutoring and some families couldn’t afford the price of tutoring for their family.
So what I did with tutors for you is I started tutors for you. I lower the cost of tutoring to $5, and that’s for every class. I believe that every student deserves an excellent education, and so our tutors also believe that same thing. So instead of using, high school students or college students, all of our tutors are experienced teachers [00:02:00] and yes.
For $5. That’s great. An hour. Yeah. We have classes from accounting to zoology inclusive. Some of the classes, I’m not gonna name all hundred ai, several computer courses. We have finance courses, 32 different languages. We have singing, dancing, cooking, sewing, art. ADHD, special needs poetry, reading or poetry.
I’ll leave the list there.

Tasha: Love

Lamar: it. We have well over a hundred classes.

Tasha: Super cool. So that

Lamar: is the programs of ASA-CORP and I’m highlighting today, tutors for you. Which if you have access to a computer anywhere in the world, we have a class for you. We [00:03:00] have classes from preschool to adult education, so it doesn’t matter where your age is, doesn’t matter where you live in the world, classes are $5 and we’re here for you.

Tasha: That’s awesome. So both of these are super personal rights, like you mentioned being a teacher. You mentioned being a disabled vet, how do you, I’m always super impressed with founders in the nonprofit sector. How do you decide to dive in to this world? What inspired you to move into this?

Lamar: Well, that’s an easy question, Tasha. Yeah, they can hit me with Hardballs.

Tasha: No. Well, I’ve still got more, I’ve got more planned.

Lamar: Okay. It really is an easy question for me. Three years ago, we started January 2nd, 2022, 3 years ago, I woke up and got it said, I want you to start a nonprofit Yes, Lord. And [00:04:00] started ASA-CORP.
From there, the question was, what do I do next? What? What do I start? And that was tutors for you, which started August 10th of 2022. And from here, that was our flagship, which is, you know what we’re doing and Cover Veterans. It was a year and a half ago. I literally was homeless. I have no problem with telling people the truth.
And I went through what veterans go through here in Tampa, and I did some research. Not a lot, but I did some research. Roughly 25 to 30,000 persons are homeless here in Tampa, roughly a quarter of that are veterans. [00:05:00] So clearly touched the January, March 1st of 2024, started cover veterans to help my fellow veterans here in Tampa.
And we’re a nonprofit, so yes, we’re asking for donations. We are a 5 0 1 C3. So yes, your donations are a tax deductible. I gotta put a plug in there.

Tasha: Yep. Go for it.

Lamar: So that is our beginning and that’s where we are. Nowhere near an end. And I do understand that a lot of nonprofits have one mission.
That’s not what God has given me. He’s given me two purposes and they’re the big challenges. Yeah. But then [00:06:00] we read in the Old Testament that God has given certain people many talents, and I have very, I have a lot of talents, so I’m trying to do what he has given me to do.

Tasha: I love that.
I love that. It’s such a calling for you, Lamar, and I love how you speak to it being your calling. What is your favorite part so far of being in the nonprofit space? Maybe specific to being a founder, but maybe just in general.

Lamar: I get to help, I was a boy scout, years ago.
Go and I prayed that if I became an adult. As a thank you to my scoutmaster Don Defe, that I would become a scoutmaster. I’ve done that five times and I have essentially forever been a Boy Scout [00:07:00] and my ultimate goal is to go to heaven. And yes, a lot of people say, I want to go to heaven too. Faith without action, just a dream.
For me, it’s reality. And so Emmanuel says, A tree is known by its fruit, and a lot of people are gonna ask, what is he talking about? Go back and reach a Bible and I’ll leave that alone for that moment. But the thing is, I am hoping and working towards that God would, when it’s all said and done, I’m hoping he will say, Lamar, you are a good tree.
And that would mean I’ve helped enough people to meet that [00:08:00] requirement, whatever that requirement is. So whether it’s helping enough veterans or helping enough families get the education that they need, he sets the bar. I’m just trying to do the work that he requires of me and I’m a happy warrior.
So that’s what it is for me. I’m trying to do God’s work and ASA is not a religious organization, let me say that upfront. I happen to believe in God. Everybody else can do their own thing. This is my cross, I guess you could say. But this is my heart. This is what I try to do. This is my purpose.

Tasha: I love that. And I think you highlighted and touched on right at the [00:09:00] beginning, something really important and those moments, the people in your life who, whether you’re a kid at scouts, my own son is a scouter and those influential people, when you’re youth and you’re young and even with your organization tutors for you.
Having one person who really cares about you, cares about your future, cares about where you’re heading. We sometimes underestimate how critically important that might be at that exact right moment. We just never know. And people who go into nonprofit look at, that service mindset that I don’t know who this will be the right moment for, or whose life I will.
Get in there and touch in a different way, but every moment has that opportunity, I guess. And I just love that servant mindset that you’re talking about and that hope that all of these dreams and projects that [00:10:00] you’re working on are going to bear that fruit. I think it’s beautiful.

Lamar: Thank you. I had a good day today.

Tasha: Good. I love it. Hey, let’s all have good days. I always love talking to you because it’s always a good day, which I love from Lamar. And what about, you know, the unique challenges to starting your own nonprofit and getting it up and running? You’re a couple years in now on one and you started a second one.
What are some of the challenges?

Lamar: The main challenge that I’m dealing with is people don’t know that we exist, and that’s the question, or the statement I hear often is $5. Where were you when my kids were growing up? I’m like, well, I’m sorry. This is the calling that was given to me, three years ago.
But please let others know that we are here now. And that is [00:11:00] really the only other thing that I deal with, is trying to get the exposure to other persons to let them know that we are here and that’s really the challenge that I have is trying to get people to know that we exist. It would be beautiful to receive donations or more donations, but I would prefer for more families to know that we exist because if more families know that we exist, we could help more families.
Yeah, and that would bring in the money. If we’re helping people, then we’re doing what we’re supposed to do as far as two for you. If for cover veterans, I need a house, I [00:12:00] need a building so that I can put veterans, get veterans off the street and put ’em in a home. That’s why I said COVID veteran is two, because we have counselors for them.
I have another veterans organization that would help with the, job, training or job assistance. I just don’t have the first part, which is a place to bring them. Off the street. So if you know someone in the Tampa area or outside of Tampa that’s willing to help us get our veterans, our heroes off the street, please help us out.
Phone number is (813) 322-5178. [00:13:00] Call anytime.

Tasha: Love that.

Lamar: Phone’s right here.

Tasha: Well, and sometimes, as you noted, the awareness component for nonprofits, even when we have all the services lined up and we have the volunteers and we have the know-how and the training, and the awareness piece can be a real challenge for nonprofits because my background’s marketing, I think it is.
Where I find regardless of size, you have to be some of the biggest nonprofits out there with crazy, huge budgets. And then you’ve got marketing, right? Like probably handle it and you have a team, but it, for especially small nonprofits, word of mouth and the people who can kind of play that ambassador role, make the connections.
It is so crucial because. Marketing is not meant to be an afterthought, but there’s so much other critical work happening that awareness piece often just kind of slips by. [00:14:00]

Lamar: Right? Well, I’m marketing every day. I love it. Marketing every day. I’m a one man shop and I’m marketing every day.

Tasha: Love that.
That’s great. And as you get out there into the nonprofit space more, you’ve been a member of the nonprofit High for quite some time now. How has Peer Connection been important to you on your journey and continuing to learn how to run your own nonprofit?

Lamar: I love The Hive every week, 1230 and Thursdays.
I have met some wonderful people, putting aside what we do. I’ve met some wonderful people and that’s been a glorious, positive thing for me. The connections have been great. The people are wonderful. I’ve used the resources that have come my way, [00:15:00] but the people, the stories, the things that they’re doing, it’s a blessing to me.
It really has been a blessing to me. I don’t know where I would be if I hadn’t met the people. I look forward to Thursdays at 1230 Eastern. For me, I make certain I am here for my hive meetings. It’s a glorious thing for me.

Tasha: I think it’s super easy for people in the nonprofit sector. To be in a constant serving mode to others.
Not that making peer connections doesn’t still potentially serve that other person, but it’s nice to have that connection with someone else who really gets how challenging the work is and it doesn’t come potentially with the additional [00:16:00] expectations that might come from. Connecting with one of the veterans you’re supporting, or a family that’s looking for a tutor, right?
Where I think nonprofit professionals give a whole lot and taking that time to receive back, both praise and resources and support is definitely a critical part of the journey.

Lamar: Yes, yes. Very much so.

Tasha: So very much so. Lamar, what’s the best way for people to get in touch with you? Learn more about these two incredible charities you’ve started, and I guess, just understand where you’re headed next on this journey.

Lamar: Well, I used to accept smoke signals, but, okay.

Tasha: Not anymore.

Lamar: No, these glasses don’t go that far.
Okay. Our website for cover [00:17:00] veterans is https://www.coverveterans.org/. For tutors for you https://www.tutorsforyou.org/. Phone number is (813) 322-5178 If you’re in the US or Canada. Our WhatsApp number is plus 1 8 1 3 7 4 3 3 2 7 3.

Tasha: Love

Lamar: it. Make sure I got everything

Tasha: I was gonna say.
We’ll make sure to put it all in the show notes and what can people expect from you going into 2026? What are some of the goals you’re hoping to [00:18:00] meet?

Lamar: I hope that someone has heard the call and will help us pro, find a house for cover veterans and maybe somebody will donate a car for us, to help us get around and collect donations. Or two, but for tutors for you, let somebody know or let 12 people know, maybe 15. But the thing is, let somebody know that we exist.
Tutorsforyou.org is for people that need or want to better their education. It’s only $5 for an hour. We have classes from preschool [00:19:00] to adult education. Just come to the website and look and see what we have. We have well over. A hundred different classes and all of our tutors are experienced teachers.
We have 16 doctors, one medical doctor, and the rest are PhDs. On average, we have 10 to 40 years of experience with all of our teachers all over the world. You’re not gonna beat that.

Tasha: It’s

Lamar: incredible.

Tasha: Love it. Well, thank you so much for chatting with me today, Lamar. Thanks for being a, dedicated 12:30 PM EST hive member joining in on the calls, and I know many others have appreciated the connections and positivity you bring to.
These conversations. I don’t know if I’ve met a founder who continuously always has a, it’s fantastic, day kind of motto and so [00:20:00] love that you bring that energy.

Lamar: Thank you. Well, I think I told you why. It’s always fantastic, right?

Tasha: Yeah. Well, remind, tell everybody again, ’cause I’ve heard this, but let’s hear it so everyone can hear it.

Lamar: 10 years of not a single bad day. Great. Simply. I believe the way I look at things is I thank God for every little thing and as if God says, Hey, Lamar appreciates what I do. You know what I’ve done for him. And so he blesses me with something else. So I say, thank you Lord. Thank you Father. And it’s just been a continual thing for 10 years.
I’m not gonna stop. So when people ask me, how you doing? Fantastic. I’m just a happy person because I know where things come from. It’s not done by me, it’s done for me and I’m just eternally [00:21:00] grateful. So

Tasha: That’s

Lamar: awesome.

Tasha: Love it. Thank you so much for doing this with me. Lamar. Tasha, thank you so much.
I’m super excited to highlight your mission, vision, and dreams moving forward.

Lamar: Thank you so much. Hi everybody. Have a blessed day.