STARS Book Clubs: 2020 Charity Champions

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STARS Book Clubs is a network of volunteer mentors that meet weekly over lunch with students to talk, eat, and practice reading books aloud. Schools with STARS Book Clubs have increased their STAAR Reading passing rates by 27%! Learn more at starsbookclubs.com.

Listen to their podcast episode!

STARS Director Michael Jeter, Assistant Director Kenneth McAdam, and Campus Coordinator Dannielle Perez with TFNB Your Bank for Life President and CEO David Littlewood and 360 Solutions CEO Chip Wilson.

The Art Center of Waco: 2020 Charity Champions

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Recognizing the 5th Charity Champion of 2020: The Art Center of Waco! This nonprofit serves as a creative force in the community for teaching, displaying, promoting, and preserving vital, diverse visual art that enriches and inspires us all.

The Art Center of Waco is currently renovating a new headquarters on 8th Street near Downtown Waco. They could use financial pledges to support construction. PLEDGE HERE: artcenterwaco.org/new-building

Listen to the podcast!

Board Member Hector Sabido tells us why supporting the arts is good for the entire community. Learn more about The Art Center’s mission at artcenterwaco.org

Legacy Family Ministries: 2020 Charity Champions

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Legacy Family Ministries deepens the roots of individuals with God’s truth so that their foundation as a married couple will be developed for the sake of the family institution. By strengthening the family they will in turn pass on God’s principles from one generation to the next.

One of the ways Legacy supports engaged couples is through their Countdown marriage preparation courses. Couple meet with mentors and peers to talk about what it means to develop a Christ-centered marriage.

Learn more about their ministry on their website, or on Facebook and Instagram.

Dr Pepper Museum and Free Enterprise Institute: 2020 Charity Champions

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Our third Charity Champion of 2020 is the Dr Pepper Museum and Free Enterprise Institute. This iconic Waco museum has drawn locals and tourists alike since opening its doors in the early 90s, but they’re more than just a museum. The Free Enterprise Institute side of the organization uses the story of Dr Pepper and the soda industry to illustrate how anyone with a good idea can start a business.

Dr Pepper is the oldest major soft drink in America. It was invited in Waco in by Dr. Charles Alderton at the Old Corner Drug Store in 1885. Learn more about the Dr Pepper Museum and Free Enterprise Institute on their website.

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Chris Tomlin concert benefitting Restoration Gateway

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Christian music superstar, Chris Tomlin, put on a drive-in concert in Waco to benefit our Charity Champion, Restoration Gateway. Chris planned on performing a regular concert before the COVID-19 outbreak, but it was pushed back due to safety concerns. Hosting the concert outdoors was a creative way to bring the artist to town and keep participants safe. TFNB Your Bank for Life was the show’s presenting sponsor.

Restoration Gateway exists to join Christ in restoring peace and healing wounds among the vulnerable children and war-torn people of Northern Uganda. 700 acres of land overlooking the Nile is being developed into a holistic, reproducible community through Orphan CareHealth CareEmpowerment, and Ministry to the Church.

Learn more by visiting their website.

Look at photos from the event:

Klaras Center for Families: 2020 Charity Champion

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Listen to Klaras Center for Families' podcast episode!

TFNB Your Bank for Life is proud to present our 2nd Charity Champion of 2020: Klaras Center for Families! 

Klaras Center for Families provides comprehensive services to the children, adolescents, young adults and families in the most trauma-sensitive, culturally sensitive, safe healing environment. Currently, they are looking specifically at developing programming that addresses the needs of a culturally diverse population and providing additional services and supports for suicide prevention, trauma informed care, bullying prevention, and mentoring.

Watch Ron Kimbell, Division Director for Klaras, interviewed by John Morris, Voice of the Baylor Bears.

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The need:

Klaras relies on services they can bill for and grants to provide funding for most of their services. They’d like to extend some of the programs they’ve created using grant funds into the future, but they can only do that with your help! If you’d like to help them provide services, like a respite house for youth facing a traumatic environment, please give get in touch on their website!

2020 Charity Champion: Esther’s Closet

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TFNB Your Bank for Life is proud to present one of our first Charity Champions of 2020: Esther’s Closet! We’ll be recognizing them at Saturday’s Baylor Football game.

Esther’s Closet is more than a program that assists women who are transitioning back into the labor force. Women from various races and backgrounds come in with one thing in common: fear of not having what they need to survive. Esther’s Closet watches these diamonds in the rough transform in front of them. Every one of their visitors is treated with dignity and respect. Most look unsure of themselves, appear insecure, and are not dressed professionally.

Once they are greeted as welcomed guests and treated as VIP’s, they begin to come out of their shells and display beautiful smiles that the hardships of life have turned into scowls. After speaking with them about their interviews, goals, dreams and aspirations, Esther’s Closet sees them walk with more confidence, and sit straighter. They are all smiles.

2020 Charity Champions Announced!

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During a luncheon at Ridgewood Country Club today, TFNB Your Bank for Life and 360 Solutions welcomed the Charity Champions Class of 2020. In previous years, the bank has recognized six nonprofits each year. This year they’ve opted to recognize seven.

Your 2020 Charity Champions are:

Look for more information on each Champion as the season continues.

Photos from today's luncheon

Charity Champions Podcast: Community Healthcare of Texas – Hospice Myths

On this episode we have CEO of Community Healthcare of Texas, Viki Jingle, and Volunteer Coordinator Sonya Wilson discuss the myths of hospice. They talk about the hospice process, how volunteers can get involved, and their recent re branding.

About Community Healthcare of Texas

As the largest not-for-profit hospice and palliative care organization in Texas, we are proud to offer adult and pediatric palliative care and hospice services to our patients and their families. After providing hospice services for over 24 years, the organization has changed its name in all markets to Community Healthcare of Texas. The name change better reflects the ever changing and growing needs of patients after a serious illness or terminal diagnosis and allows us to operate under one name throughout our entire organization.