The nominees below are non-profits, churches, charities, and mission organizations that serve the central Texas community. We need your vote to determine which group will receive the largest donation from The Cares Alliance. Thanks to the support from Emerald Lawns and the RJF Team, we’ll be giving away over $9,000 this month.
Click on the names below to learn more about each of the finalists before casting your vote.
WWW.FPCGM.ORG
In 2014 Footprints Children’s Grief Ministry was created to serve children ages 6–18 who were dealing with grief due to a death in their family. In 2017 the ministry built on its proven tools, trained facilitators and measured results to expand its services by ministering to children in families dealing with divorce. The Footprints program leads children and their parents through an eight-week, no-cost, workshop that deals with life changes, awareness of feelings, anger management, problem solving, and lastly the hope that lies ahead. During the workshops many children experience true miracles in their school performance and family lives. Success stories emerge from every workshop and in particular, one child had developed behavioral issues and truancy problems. Academic performance began to suffer, and serious relational issues surfaced at home. Upon completion of the Footprints curriculum the child began to see academic performance improve dramatically, social skills at school and at home were back to normal and the student became a leader in an academic club at school. Several success stories like this are captured in a video on our website (www.fpcgm.org) in the film entitled “The Footprints Story.”
In 2019 Footprints will expand our ministry directly into the Williamson county schools by working through after school programs. We will be partnering with educators to identify and minister to children whose academic performance and social skills have been directly impacted by grief. To accomplish these goals Footprints plans to complete a new video aimed at educating others to identify symptoms of children experiencing grief due to death or divorce. The entire Footprints organization wishes to thank The Cares Alliance for the opportunity to apply for this grant to support our ministry.
WWW.HOPEMOMMIES.ORG
Hope Mommies is a 501(c)3 non-profit Christian organization founded in 2010. It exists to help mothers and families that experience pregnancy and infant loss by providing comfort, encouragement, companionship, and sharing the hope of Jesus Christ. Hope Mommies provides that support in many ways including the tangible gift of Hope Boxes, Facebook groups, grief resources and encouragement through a blog and Hope Group bible studies, a yearly retreat, and most recently, the creation of local chapters. Our Central Texas Chapter was established in the fall of 2016 to provide local, in-person support for hope moms. We serve the areas of Austin, Temple, and Waco. We work to create a safe place for hurting moms and share hope with grieving families. Your vote will help us make more Hope Boxes for moms who experience pregnancy and infant loss. Our Hope Boxes contain gifts that encourage grieving well while pointing to the Hope of Christ that will sustain for years to come. These items include an ESV Bible, a Heaven Booklet, a book on grief, journal, scripture cards, handwritten note, and a Hope Mommies™ brochure. A Hope Box also includes various comfort and pampering gifts such as: tissue, tea, coffee, lotion, lip care, bath bomb, candle and jewelry. These boxes are placed in central Texas hospitals and doctor’s offices and are often a family’s first connection with Hope Mommies. We couldn’t be more thankful that the Cares Alliance has chosen to partner with us, and please vote for us to help us continue to share hope with these families when they learn that they will walk this side of eternity without their beloved son or daughter.
WWW.IAM23.ORG
#IAM23 began with the mission to encourage veterans who are struggling with suicide to choose to live today – to choose to be number 23 of the 22 veterans who die each day from suicide-by providing them with access to holistic services that support reintegration into civilian life. Since its inception in 2014, #IAM23 has grown to fully encompass the mission by addressing mental health concerns related to military service by engaging the veteran community to focus on the positive impact veterans make in their communities, families, and jobs. To improve and expand services available to veterans within our community we engage in outreach and advocacy with veterans, veteran support groups, and collaboration with other nonprofits and corporations. Since 2018, our primary focus has been the provision of mental health services for treating and managing PTSD symptoms and moral injury. This led to the successful development of our 5-day Warrior Program Intensive. Throughout the 5-day Intensive, #IAM23 utilizes an approach that allows warriors to address their most traumatic event, helping them to better understand how their life has been affected by this event, and allowing them to address the negative and positive changes. With the generous financial donation from The Cares Alliance, #IAM23 will be able to provide eight warriors with travel, personnel (peer support personnel and licensed mental health professionals), and food at a 2019 Warrior Program 5-day Intensive. We rely upon donation and grant funding to support and provide veterans services at no cost to them or their families. To provide veterans with the holistic experience during the 5-day Intensive, we will use this funding to provide them with program materials, lodging, equine-assisted psychotherapy, archery supplies, fishing supplies, and campfire supplies.
WWW.THEPRAYERCOLLECTIVE.ORG
We are a faith based homeless ministry in Georgetown that focuses on creating relationships with the men and women we serve rather than just simply providing for their basic material needs. This relationship begins on Saturday mornings where we offer showers, breakfast, and a clothing closet, at Main Street Baptist Church. The showers are used as a tool to meet the homeless by providing a service they cannot get anywhere else in the city. The Prayer Collective is not part of Main Street Baptist, they allow us to use their facility.
Once we meet the people we attempt to find out where they are staying and then try to make contact with them at some point in the week. If the person is receptive to meeting further we begin the process of finding out why they are homeless, if they will make good use of the help we offer, and how best to go about providing that help.
We are searching for people who are ready to make a change. Once we identify someone who is truly ready to get off the street, we begin to focus our time and resources on that person. We provide a cell phone for communication, bicycle for transportation, and then make sure they have identification. Once these three items are covered we begin the process of applying for jobs.
After a job is secured, and if the person is a good fit, we provide everything that is needed for them to camp at Cedar Breaks Park at Lake Georgetown. The camp has electricity, running water, and hot showers. We provide a tent, space heaters, heated blankets, fire wood, food and electric skillets to cook on. The camp gives the men a place to call their own.
WWW.ROUNDROCKPOLICEFOUNDATION.ORG
The Round Rock Police Foundation strengthens the alliance between our Officers and the community, bolstering public safety and promoting a higher quality of life. The Foundation supports programs, initiatives, and projects that focus purposefully on complementing the Department’s policing strategies.
One of the many programs the foundation supports is the Back to School Celebration. This event was designed to help build a stronger bridge between the community and law enforcement. The entire event is a festival-type atmosphere at the Dell Diamond with food, games, entertainment, sports workshops, educational workshops, school supplies, sports physicals, vision and hearing exams, and much more, all free of charge.
The Back to School Celebration lessens the financial burden on families in need by providing resources that may not be accessible otherwise. Starting a new school year with any disadvantage can make it difficult for a child to prosper and grow. Considering all the financial obligations for families preparing for school, it can cost a significant amount of money. Sports physicals may cost between $50 to $100 without insurance, and the costs of eye exams, hearing exams, and school supplies can quickly add up.
Partnerships in the community are crucial, and we could not have such a successful event without the support. We are committed to strengthening our alliance with the public and emphasize that we are there for them just as we know they are there for us. We believe that this program makes our community a better place to live and we strive to expand the impact of the Back to School Celebration.
If awarded, the money received would be used to provide continuing and greater services at the event to support children and families throughout the Greater Round Rock community.
VOTE HERE
To cast your vote, you must provide your name and email address and vote only once. Voting will close at 5:00 p.m. on February 28, 2019. Attempts to abuse or defraud the voting system may result in forfeiture of your vote.
NOTE: The bar graph may not display properly on mobile devices, but the % displayed is accurate.
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