Tresa Alvarado wrote her first poem at the tender age of six years old. This experience was the way she learned to express herself, not only on paper but in life. As a senior instructor for the Thank You Darlin’ Foundation’s poetry program, she has watched children grow from shy and inexpressive to well-spoken and impressive. Tresa’s passion is helping children apply the science of reading and writing in school to real-life situations. She believes the best way to help children succeed is to give them guidance, respect, attention, and encouragement.

Tammy Gomez, a 2007 Texas medal of Arts award nominee, is a spoken word and multimedia performer recognized for her cutting-edge performance artwork. Tammy is also a literary producer as well as a playwright and director. She curated the Texas Book Festival Poetry Tent readings at the State Capitol for six consecutive years. She is also a participating member of the Macondo Writers’ Workshop. In addition, Tammy became a teaching artist for the Thank You Darlin’ Foundation in 2011.

Lynn Lewis received a B.S. degree in Biology from North Texas State University. She is a past president of the Poets of Tarrant County and sits on the Board of Directors for the Poetry Society of Texas. Lynn has been published in several poetry magazines and anthologies, including the Texas Poetry Calendar. Lynn has been a Teaching Artist for the Thank You Darlin’ Foundation since 2014.

Steve Novy is a young-at-heart senior who’s also a dad of two grown boys. He retired from the Keller Independent School District as an elementary art teacher with over 20 years of experience. Besides his love of the arts, he loves the great outdoors and often uses nature art projects to inspire students. Steve is very excited to be a part of the Thank You Darlin’ Foundation’s team of teaching artists.