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Our mission is intersecting faith and community to empower
Grayson County families to end child homelessness.
| | MESSAGE FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | | |
Happy Fall, y'all!
While the temperature may be a little cooler, the warmth of your generosity continues. Whether you have shared a meal, taught a class, or sponsored our fundraiser, we are deeply grateful! Thank you for all the ways you show your love, generosity, and kindness to the families we serve! There is a lot of exciting news this month, so keep reading!
With heartfelt gratitude and warm wishes for a joyful October,
Leigh
| | HUGE THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS! | |
Grand Slam Field Sponsor:
Dale & Sylvia Walker
Anonymous
Dugout Sponsor:
American Roofing and Construction
Cathy & Mark Clayton
Graber & Walker LLP
Kathryn Hicks
Ruiz Foods
TMC ER at Sherman
Snack Shack Sponsor
Team Cassady Construction LLC
All-Star Sponsors:
Bayless-Hall & Blanton Insurance Agency
Becky & Joe Frank
Center for Family Medicine
Covenant Presbyterian
Asa L. Jessee - Edward Jones
First United Methodist Church, Sherman
Grace Lutheran Church
Grace United Methodist Church
HR Solid Foundation
Park Avenue Church of Christ
RGB Eye Associates
SouthState Bank
Nat McClure - State Farm
Vickie White Travel
Wynne, Smith & Young, PLLC
Sideline Supporters:
Clay Barnett
DSB Worldwide
Norman & Joan Gordon - Paragon
Anonymous
Other Friends:
Stephen & Erin Clayton
Lana and Bert Garcia
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Our Strike Out Homelessness softball tournament was a great success! The weather was beautiful, the teams played great games, the concession stand was well organized and competently run by wonderful volunteers, the fans were generous at the gates, and most importantly, more than $22,000 was raised to assist families facing or experiencing homelessness! We are so grateful for our sponsors and for all the volunteers who made this possible.
Special thanks to the following superstars who gave up part of their weekend to work the gates and the concession stands: Jessica Wright, Maureen Kane Stephenson, Carin Monk, Cathy & Mark Clayton, Erin Clayton, Michael Mattil, Blake Bray, Kristi Shilling, Christy Close, Samantha Close (and her grandmother!), Tiffany Reynolds, Sarah Myrick, Leigh & Jim Walker, and Austin College students Eliza Gorrosquieta, Jazmin Martu, Angel Asafor, Ben Cordell, Cody McIntyre, Cayden Snelgrove, Josh Campbell, and Kenny Alexander! We appreciate you!!
| | About a dozen women recently got together in Colbert, Oklahoma at the Riverview RV & Recreational Park for a morning of painting, refreshments, and fun. These artists not only created beautiful paintings, but also made a generous donation to assist the families we serve. This project was the brainchild of Sharla Mullens and was hosted by Stephanie Crouse. The painting was led by the very talented Family Promise Office Angel Jan Grams. These vibrant ladies are making a difference in our community! Thank you! | | Jan Grams and Stephanie Crouse | | Travis Buckner, Manager of Public Affairs for Atmos Energy, stopped by the Day Center and surprised us with a very large check! Atmos is fueling our ability to provide energy assistance to families struggling to make ends meet. If you know Travis, or any of the other energetic employees of Atmos, please give them a warm hug and let them know what a huge difference their generosity is making in our community! Thank you, Atmos Energy! | | |
Thank you for helping build a stronger North Texas. This year, North Texas Giving Day was the most impactful yet! A record-breaking $78 million from more than 100,000 donors was raised to support nonprofits across North Texas. The need in our community is great, and thanks to you, North Texas Giving Day is helping meet that need. Thank you for including us among the nonprofits you supported!
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Larsha' Thomas, Vice President / Community Development Officer for SouthState Bank, provided information about credit scores during the September financial literacy class. She did such a good job that people did not want to leave! Free classes are held monthly at the Day Center, covering topics such as fraud prevention and holiday spending. They are open to the public, and childcare and a snack supper are provided. Larsha' is such a blessing to everyone she meets, and we are very grateful for her time and expertise.
Our next financial class will be hosted by Cadence Bank and will be Monday, 10/20, at 5:30 PM at Habitat for Humanity (901 N. Grand Avenue in Sherman). Then on Tuesday, 10/28, at 5:30 PM at the Family Promise Day Center (901 E. Houston Street in Sherman), we will have another class hosted by SouthState Bank. Hope to see you there!
| | While their mothers discuss credit scores, the children play in the playroom at the Family Promise Day Center at Hope on Houston in Sherman. | | |
If you have been with us for a while, you may recall that Clayton Homes very generously donated a manufactured home to Family Promise of Grayson County in December 2021. That was the 12th home they had donated in partnership with Family Promise, and the third home Clayton had donated to Family Promise in the state of Texas since 2018. We are thrilled that Clayton has chosen to donate a second home to us! This will be their 19th home donation.
The new home, like our first home, will be used as transitional housing, which is a temporary accommodation aimed at bridging the gap from homelessness to permanent housing by offering structure, case management, and education. Mark your calendar for November 13, when we will have a ribbon cutting at this new home located in Knollwood!
You may also remember that in 2021, we had a contest to select a name for our first home. Jackie Mitchell, Minister of Music and Sr. Adults at First Baptist Church in Whitesboro, submitted the winning suggestion, "Tabitha House". Tabitha (also known as Dorcas) was known for her charitable works and good deeds. She sewed for people and gave to the needy. (See Acts 9:36-42.) Be thinking of a great name for this second house, and perhaps your suggestion will be chosen! Submit suggestions to director@familypromisegrayson.org.
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Many thanks to First United Methodist church in Sherman, Grace United Methodist in Sherman, and First United Methodist church in Whitesboro for taking extra host weeks in September in order to provide food, shelter, and love to our two sweet families currently in the Rotation program. One of our moms has a beautiful 3-month-old girl, and the other has absolutely adorable (and very smart!) sons, ages 1 and 3. They will melt your heart!
If you are interested in sharing a meal with these and other precious families and have not yet gone through training, please call Leigh at 903-771-0322, ext. 3.
We will be filling in our 2026 Host calendar soon! If there are dates you know your congregation would like to host, email Leigh ASAP (director@familypromisegrayson.org), so you can get your first choice of dates! Thank you!
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"Be the reason someone smiles.
Be the reason someone feels loved
and believes in the goodness in people."
~Roy T. Bennett
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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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