SHARE:  
Family Promise of Grayson County Newsletter April 2022
NTXGivingDay
Our mission is intersecting faith and community to empower
Grayson County families to end child homelessness.

Message from our Executive Director

Spring signifies new beginnings--flowers bloom, the days get warmer and longer, gardens grow, and we start to hear baby birds chirping. We have had some new beginnings at Family Promise, too! 

  • A new family started in our Interfaith Hospitality Network. (It's a single mom with 5 children).
  • First United Methodist Church of Whitesboro hosted guests for the first time! (The hosts were gracious, flexible, and wonderful!)  
  • Heather Himes started as our new part-time case manager! (She's married, has 2 children, is great, and yes, still works at First UMC Sherman!)
  • Since January 1st, we have assisted 74 new families in our homelessness prevention and diversion program. (Family HOPE -- Housing Opportunities to Prevent Evictions)



Read on to see what else is going on.


Wishing you the best this season has to offer! 

Happy Spring!


Leigh

Get to Know the Board!

Becky Frank was one of the many people in the community who worked to organize Family Promise of Grayson County in 2016. She originally served on the Board from 2016 until 2018 and has once again joined the Board. For several years she has been involved with writing grants for Family Promise (and she would love some help, so if you are interested in helping, please contact her!).

Becky Newsletter.jpeg

Becky retired from Johnson & Johnson in 2011, and since that time she has enjoyed traveling, spending time with her family, and volunteering with various organizations. She and her husband Joe are members of Covenant Presbyterian Church. They have two children and three grandchildren. In addition to Family Promise, Becky is involved with volunteer work through Home Hospice of Grayson County and her church. We would not be where we are today without Becky! It is wonderful to have her back on our Board!

Austin College's GreenServe Service Event 

Six Austin College students recently spent a Saturday morning landscaping at the Family Promise transitional home known as Tabitha House. As part of AC's GreenServe Service Event, these students planted shrubs and flowers, mowed grass, leveled dirt, and stained and weatherproofed the decks.  Special thanks to Delaney, Rogelio, Tyler, Christian, Gaven, and Samuel for all their hard work. 


Thanks to Board members Becky Frank and Janis Fletcher for donating plants and Tyler Lewis for providing donuts!  Thanks, too, to Jim Walker for providing the tools, topsoil, mower, and garden hose.


Family Promise Volunteer Training

Volunteer training is scheduled for Sunday, May 15 from 12:15 - 2:30 at Georgetown Baptist church in Pottsboro. Lunch is provided, so please let Leigh know if you plan to attend.  Anyone desiring to become a Family Promise volunteer may attend or may call Leigh at 903-771-0322 to schedule another training session.

Heart of a Matter Ministries' Service Day

A team of five prayer warriors and hard workers blessed the Family Promise Day Center and the courtyard at Hope on Houston last Friday! Sherry Lynch, Missions and Volunteer Coordinator at Heart of a Matter Ministries, brought her team for their service day. After praying for the guests, staff, and ministry of Family Promise of Grayson County, these ladies got down to work! They divided into two groups, with one group sorting toys and puzzles and cleaning the playroom, while the other group removed shrubs and weeds from the courtyard.  Thank you so much to these women and to their ministry for blessing us so graciously!


HMM 4.JPG
HMM 6.JPG

Independent Financial and BancorpSouth hosting budgeting classes

On Tuesday, May 3rd, from 5:30-6:15 PMIndependent Financial is hosting, "Decision Tree", a financial class tailored to children in kindergarten through 5th grade. Food, drinks, and giveaways will be provided. If you know children about 5 to 11 years old that could benefit from learning about saving money, please bring them! This event will be held at the Family Promise Day Center (901 E. Houston Street in Sherman).



Last month, Independent Financial hosted a class on, "Your Spending and Savings Plan". Larsha' Thomas, Assistant VP and Senior Community Development Officer, was the presenter. Ms. Thomas also provided pizza and drinks. Those who attended learned a lot and had fun! Special thanks to Kathy Flynn for assisting with child care!


On Tuesday, May 17 and Tuesday, June 21BancorpSouth will host classes on budgeting and avoiding harmful pitfalls that can impact credit negatively. Rebecca Aros, Assistant Vice President and Retail Manager at BancorpSouth, is coordinating these classes. Classes are from 6:30-7:30 PM at the Family Promise Day Center (901 E. Houston Street in Sherman).


Other financial classes sponsored by BancorpSouth will be held Thursday, July 28 and Thursday, October 6. These will be collaborative efforts by Family Promise, Habitat for Humanity, United Way, and Callie Clinic. Mark your calendar and watch for additional information!


Classes are open to all who are interested. Snacks, child care and door prizes are provided. Please let us know if you can attend, so we can plan accordingly.


RSVP: 903-771-0322

Please leave your name, phone number, the number of adults attending, and the number of children needing childcare. Hope to see you there!



Note: Child care assistants are needed during the classes. If you are a trained Family Promise Volunteer and would like to help out on any of these dates, please let Leigh know (903-271-1088).

A prayer for each of us:

Dear Lord, thank you for the many blessings you have given us and continue to give us daily.  Help us always to recognize that You are the source of the beauty we see around us, the sunshine we feel on our backs, and the love we experience in our relationships with others.  Draw us to You that we may know You better.  Help us to seek You not just in lean times, but in times of plenty.  Open our eyes to see opportunities to help others and share your truth. Amen.

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

Please visit www.familypromisegrayson.org or contact Executive Director, Leigh Walker at director@familypromisegrayson.org.

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!

Family Promise of Grayson County | 903-271-1088 | Contact|Email|Website