Our mission is intersecting faith and community to empower
Grayson County families to end child homelessness.
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Message from our Director |
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Did you hear about the guy who swapped the pump labels at the gas station?
It was an April Fuels' joke!
All kidding aside, I hope you are enjoying the budding trees and beautiful spring flowers! We have been busy providing a number of services to families in our community. We are serving 21 people in our Family HOPE program and still are following 12 families that have "graduated" from our Interfaith Hospitality Network. We also provide many referrals and services to other families and individuals.
While we currently do not have a family in the rotation program, this is not unexpected. Many families are getting their income tax refunds and economic impact payments. As intended, the stimulus checks are helping families pay back-rent and make ends meet. Unfortunately, the reality is that for some families, the money will not be enough to recover from both COVID and the high utility costs during February's snow storm. We (and you, as our wonderful volunteers!) are here for these families when they need us.
Meanwhile, read on to see what else is happening.
Easter blessings,
Leigh
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The flowers appear on the earth; The season of singing has come..." ~Song of Solomon 2:12 (NIV)
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Many thanks to our congregations! |
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Girl Scout Gold Award benefits Family Promise |
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Sherman high school senior Tori Manning recently blessed future guests of Family Promise of Grayson County with soft, fleece blankets--140 of them, to be exact! Cutting and tying the blankets was part of Tori's Girl Scout Gold award project. Tori also wrote cards to go with each blanket. The cards read, "This blanket has been handmade for you! May it keep you warm and help you feel safe when you're lonely or scared. Made with love ❤️. "
Tori was given a similar blanket and note when she was a young girl facing surgery. She wanted to pass along the same feelings of comfort and safety to others through her project. We know that for years to come, her efforts will bring warmth and joy to children in our community facing or experiencing homelessness.
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Tori joined Girl Scout Troop 3788 when she was in the second grade. She earned the Bronze Award with that troop, and after the girls dispersed the troop leader and Tori's mother helped her earn the Silver Award. Tori found a new group, Troop 4749, through Trinity Lutheran Church where her mother Kathy works. She expressed great thankfulness for the support of her friends and family. Troop member Alyssa Carr and her father Andy helped deliver the blankets to the Day Center. We are thankful for you, Tori! |
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Alyssa Carr and Tori Manning with a few of the blankets they made! |
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(Below) Family Promise staff Amyee and Leigh receive blankets and cards from Tori with her pastor, Lisa Perkins, of Covenant Presbyterian church. Andy Carr, Rev. Perkins, Leigh, Alyssa, Tori, Tori's mom Kathy Manning, and Tori's sister, Whitney Tarvin. |
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Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Society gives generously |
Bill Brown (pictured) and Brett Combs, of the Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Company, Chapter 11, maintain social distance while presenting a generous check to Family Promise Executive Director Leigh Walker. Mr. Combs, Treasurer of the WoodmenLife Foundation, indicated their not-for-profit insurance company partners with other charitable organizations to help make our community better for everyone. They certainly are making it better for the families served by Family Promise! These gentlemen each serve on several local nonprofit boards. If you know Mr. Brown or Mr. Combs, be sure to let them know how much we appreciate them! |
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Get to Know the Family Promise Board |
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This month's featured Board member is Mike Flanagan! Mike, or better known as Brother Mike, has been serving as pastor of First Baptist Whitesboro since 2005. Before that, he served two other churches as lead pastor and a few others as minister of youth and education. He and April have been married since 1986 and have 3 married children and 3 grandsons.
Bro. Mike is a proud native Texan. He was once a licensed auctioneer, mortgage banker and electrician. He and April served on the South Texas border for 7 years, where Mike picked up enough Spanish to be able to preach in many parts of Mexico, Spain, and Cuba. According to him, he also makes a pretty mean homemade salsa and often refuses “store bought" salsa. His greatest joy is spending time with his family, frequently at a campsite in their travel trailer. We are glad to have Mike on our Board!
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We asked, and you answered! |
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In last month's newsletter, we asked for individuals interested in serving as financial mentors to some of our guests! Six of you responded immediately! Thank you!! (If you meant to sign up or if you just want a little more information, call Leigh Walker at 903-271-1088.)
We currently are in the process of developing a more comprehensive financial literacy component as an extension of case management for families graduating from our program and as part of our new Family HOPE services. Budget partners, Budget 101 classes, and financial workshops open to the community are just a few of the components being developed. Family Promise of Grayson County has the BEST volunteers, and we are very excited to get these programs started in the next few weeks! Stay tuned for breaking news!
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- A 4-person household that makes $25,750/year is considered to be an "extremely low income" household.
- Texas has 838,414 (22%) renter households that are extremely low income.
- In the DFW-Arlington area, there are 189,490 extremely low income renter households
- In the DFW-Arlington area, there are only 21 affordable and available rental homes per 100 extremely low income renter households.
- An extremely low income renter household spends more than 50% of its income on rent and utilities.
- $43,478 is the annual household income needed to afford a two-bedroom rental home at HUD's Fair Market Rent.
- An extremely low income family of four with monthly income of $2008, for example, has $762 remaining for all other non-housing expenses after renting the average two-bedroom apartment at fair market rent of $1246. The US Department of Agriculture's thrifty food budget for two adults and 2 school-aged children is $671 per month, leaving only $91 for transportation, childcare, and all other necessities.
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October 2nd is the 2021 Family Promise Bed Relay Race held during the Denison Fall Festival! You will NOT want to miss the excitement of this more-fun-than-ever event! Details are coming soon! Don't wait too long to let us know if you want to be the King Size sponsor!
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One of our Family HOPE families has two toddlers that need highchairs. If you have a high chair (or two!) that you no longer need, please give us a call! 903-771-0322. Thank you! |
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Prayer for our community: |
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Lord, we call upon you to shine your light upon us to help guide us through life.
May your strength and inspiration lift our spirits, so we can continue to spread love and hope throughout the world.
May the Lord continue to bless us. Amen. ~Jennifer Kosziollek
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If you would like to learn more about Family Promise of Grayson County including:
- How to participate
- How to volunteer
- How to support through donations
Didn’t get this newsletter directly? Join our mailing list by sending an email to the newsletter editor. Be sure to forward this to a friend!
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