Our mission is intersecting faith and community to empower
Grayson County families to end child homelessness.
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Message from our Executive Director
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November is a month for giving thanks. I am thankful for the love and hospitality shown by you to the three families currently in our program. I am thankful that two of these families expect to move into their own homes in the next few weeks. I am thankful we soon may be able to serve some of the families on our waiting list, and I am thankful every day for the generosity each of you shows with your time, your energy, your financial support, your encouragement and your prayers. May you also find much for which to be thankful this season!
Blessings,
Leigh
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Texoma Christian School Care-a-thon
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Janice Delano and her class of seventeen 6th grade girls alighted at the Day Center recently and shared their energy and enthusiasm on a variety of projects! In no time flat, they had counted, labeled, and stored dishes that will be used by guests as they move out and set up their kitchens. The girls organized toys, puzzles, toiletries, and diapers and made the closet and playroom look fresh and new! They folded Family Promise brochures, sanitized light switches and doorknobs, entertained two of our toddlers, and even swept and mopped! What a tremendous help these TCS students were to Family Promise of Grayson County!
Additionally, the girls donated $140 worth of Wal-Mart and Target gift cards that our guests will use to buy gasoline to fuel their trips to work and school or other necessities such as shoes. We are so thankful for everything these kind-hearted girls did! Thanks, too, to the other teachers and chaperones that accompanied the girls: Bree Mast, Mitsuko Lee, Sunni Hayes, JC Kelly, and Miriam Greye.
THANK YOU!!
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With the Christmas holidays fast approaching, several of you generously have asked what you can do for the guests of Family Promise or if you can buy gifts for the children. While gifts for our guests never are expected, if you do want to give them something, the very best gift you can give is low-denomination gift cards. Gasoline and Wal-Mart cards are the most versatile.
Gift cards always fit and are easy to store! They enable parents to have the privilege of selecting and buying gifts for their own children. They can be used for toys or necessities, clothing or gas. When Christmas gets closer, Leigh and Amyee can distribute cards equitably. As with any donation to Family Promise, please do not give gifts or gift cards directly to the guests, but instead, donate through the office.
If you have any questions, please call Leigh Walker at 903-271-1088. Thank you for your thoughtfulness and generosity!
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Celebrating Family Promise of Grayson County
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We change the trajectory of kids’ lives. Since our opening in May 2018, we have served 26 children!
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2020 Schedule Nearly Complete - THANK YOU!
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Family Promise of Grayson County has the BEST congregations!! All but five weeks of 2020 already have been chosen by host congregations for serving guests. Our families truly are blessed by this level of hospitality and commitment on your part! Thank you!! You are making a big difference in our community and a huge difference to these families!
Special thanks to our newest congregation,
Fairview Baptist Church
, for choosing to host the last two weeks of December 2019!
While Fairview is filling as many of the volunteer opportunities during those two weeks as they can, due to holiday schedules, there may be a few openings available.
If you would be willing and available to provide a meal or to volunteer in their cozy center at some point between December 22, 2019 and January 4, 2020, please call or text me (Leigh 903-271-1088) or email me
director@familypromisegrayson.org
and let me know your availability. Thank you!
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Training for new volunteers will be held at:
Anyone desiring to be a new volunteer with Family Promise is encouraged to attend either session!
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Family Promise National has a partnership with
Belk
. Belk recently had a shipment of blankets where the color bled, so Belk no longer could sell them.
Instead of discarding the shipment, they wanted Family Promise to receive the blankets. Chuck Terrell, Manager of Sherman Belk Store #327, provided 61 soft, new throw blankets to Family Promise of Grayson County! These blankets are being given to families and individuals in need of some extra warmth.
If any of our Host Congregations need throw blankets for hosting Family Promise guests, please let Leigh know as soon as possible at 903-271-1088.
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Please Update Your Address Book!
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It recently came to our attention that some mail is being sent to our PO Box. We have not had the PO Box for a year, so mail no longer is being forwarded. Your correspondence is important to us, so please be sure you have our mailing address as:
901 E. Houston Street, Sherman, TX 75090
. Thank you!
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A very generous couple recently gave Family Promise of Grayson County a 2011 Mercury Grand Marquis that is in good working condition! The donors, who wish to remain anonymous, said they do not want credit for their gift but prefer to praise God for His abundant gifts, making this donation possible. We are praising Him, too, for this answer to prayer!
Guest transportation is one of the major components of the services provided by Family Promise. Having vehicles that are in good working order is critical for guests to get to work, school, and appointments. This car will be used by guests every day and will help save money, as it is more fuel efficient than driving the 15-passenger van when only a couple of people need to go somewhere.
Thank you so much to this thoughtful and kind-hearted couple for this tremendous gift!
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Grateful for the Opportunity to Serve
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Below are a few comments from a volunteer at First United Methodist Church in Sherman. Please send us your story for future newsletters!
The final Sunday when the families move out, it can be pretty hectic. Our guests are transitioning to the Day Center and then to the next host church, while we’re working to put classrooms back together for Sunday School. As I pushed a bed down the hall to load onto the trailer, I ran into a teenage guest pushing a bed and also pulling hissister’s bed toward the door. I asked this strong looking young man if he played football. “No sir” was his reply. We chatted briefly, and he told me of other extra-curricular activities he was involved in at school. I asked him how his team was doing this year and he replied (shyly) that he really didn’t know – that he’d only been here a few weeks.
Think about that. He’s only been here a few weeks. School started two months ago. That means he’s transitioned from one school to another recently. Whether you’ve done that yourself before or not, we all know that must be a challenge--meeting new friends and finding your way around a new school while others are already settled in.
That’s what Family Promise is about: Helping families progress to a more stable living environment. For one week, our church provided meals, fellowship, and a warm/safe place to rest at the end of a long day. For our guests, including this young man new to our community, our congregation provided hope, and that just feels like a blessing for our church.
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Our mission is intersecting faith and community to empower Grayson County families to end child homelessness. Many of you regularly ask how you can pray for Family Promise of Grayson County.
Please pray for:
- The families in our program--that they can attain financial stability and stable homes.
- The families who are on our waiting list.
- The health and safety of our guests and volunteers.
- Times of peace and calm for our guests at the holidays that require extra energy and coordination for them and their families.
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