Each year when the holidays roll around, the GRACE Christmas Cottage provides Christmas gifts for families who find themselves in need through a store-like shopping experience. The Cottage is open for two and a half weeks before Christmas, and all of the brand new toys and gifts donated by our community are displayed for shoppers to choose from. However, before any of the festivities can take place, there is a lot of work and shopping to be done! With the holidays fast-approaching, we need your help in collecting toys to fill our Cottage with Holiday cheer for our shoppers! If you would like to support Christmas Cottage with a new, unwrapped item for a child in need, we have you covered! Click HERE for a list of suggested toys for this year such as: Smaller bikes with training wheels Toddler ride-on toys Teen gifts Razor scooters Skateboards Sports Balls: footballs,

Thanks to all the wonderful sponsors of the GRACE Gala this year, and all other GRACE events and activities throughout the year. The generosity of these community-minded businesses and individuals is an inspiration to our staff who strive to make all those who support GRACE proud of the way we use their funds to help others. This year marks the 16th GRACE Gala with Classic Chevrolet in the title position. Classic owner Tom Durant and his wife Susan are the perfect example of community-minded business owners. Very few charitable events take place in north Tarrant County without the black and red Classic logo prominently displayed. But it is not just Classic’s dedication to their community that has made them the number one Chevy Dealer in the World and the largest Chevrolet Light and Medium Duty Dealer in the nation. It’s the staff. Classic’s employees support the community through charitable work,

On October 16th, GRACE Grapevine hosted a dazzling VIP party at the Glass Cactus nightclub within the Gaylord Texan Resort to express their gratitude to the generous Gala sponsors and VIP guests. The event marked the beginning of the celebration for this year’s Gala theme, “The Stories of GRACE.” This theme highlights the impactful stories that GRACE has been honored to be a part of and that underscore the importance of community partnerships. The exclusive event showcased the resort’s luxurious amenities and culinary excellence, offering guests a night of appreciation and excitement as the Gala Auction for this year’s event was unveiled. Guests were greeted by Justin and Theresa Mason, the Gala Chairs, and had the opportunity to mingle, enjoy drinks, and indulge in a tantalizing array of appetizers from the resort’s diverse dining options. The VIP party was generously sponsored by Chama Gaúcha Brazilian Steakhouse. Monica Forester, Marketing Manager

Congratulations to the staff of the GRACE Community Clinic! We have been awarded GOLD Plus Recognition for the eighth consecutive year for the Target: BP Program through the American Heart Association (AHA)! In summary, this means that over 70% of our clients with a hypertension diagnosis have been able to keep their blood pressure in check per the American Heart Association standards for blood pressure control. Our clinic’s percentage is 81% – which is incredible! The clinic was also honored to receive a Gold level recognition from the AHA as part of their 2024 Check. Change. Control. Cholesterol Achievement Award commending our ongoing commitment to lowering cholesterol and improving care management within our patient population and a silver level recognition from the AHA’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes program for our commitment to enhancing the quality of care for patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular risk factors. The Clinic provides patients with individual physician management for their

Financial instability is stressful, but it is something that each of us will face in some capacity and hopefully overcome. However, instability combined with a forever altered lifestyle due to a medical crisis is not. In September, GRACE care managers met with a client who was diagnosed with a blood clot in the brain which caused him to become blind. Blindness is a common symptom of a blood clot in the brain, and recovery is possible, but on a timeline of months, not weeks. After this life-changing diagnosis, the client almost immediately faced more distress. His marriage, unfortunately, deteriorated and he was left alone with limited resources and he became significantly dependent on others, including his best friend and his best friend’s wife. They helped him as much as possible but ultimately they reached out to GRACE on his behalf for our help. An application for Social Security Disability had been filed, but due to the lengthy process time,

All good things must come to an end and make way for something better! At the beginning of this year we started work with Voly- a comprehensive volunteer management platform- to create a unique website dedicated to our volunteers. Our goal was to streamline the volunteer process and create a one-stop-shop for volunteers to submit applications, sign up for volunteer opportunities, and track hours. With those in mind, we started work on the website and are excited to say our website is complete! We officially launched the website September 16th, and have seen a steady influx in volunteer sign-ups since then. It is so exciting to see familiar and new names roll into the site- We’re still in the early stages, but we can’t wait to see where this will take us! For those of you who are new to the website, below are the steps you will need to

FY24 Sets Service Provision Record. Again. Our GRACE family celebrated the end of our fiscal year on September 10, with a catered dinner, games, prizes, and good fellowship. The GRACE Fiscal Year runs September 1 through August 31, and each year we hold a “New Year’s Party” remembering the year just past, and the new one before us. There was a feeling of true joy in the air for a tremendous FY. We welcomed our new CEO, Rebecca Cox, at the beginning of Q2—December 4th to be exact—the day of the Christmas Cottage Open House. Rebecca was only the third chief executive in the 38-year history of GRACE, attesting to the long-term stability of our organization. Just a month earlier, we had completed our best GRACE Gala ever! With record net revenues, and net as a percentage of gross (an efficiency rating for special events) of an exceptional 73%, the

GRACE welcomes Jina Walker, M. Ed., as the new Chief Program Officer, directing the many programs and services of the Grapevine-based social service agency. Her predecessor, Stacy Pacholick, retired after an impactful 13 years at GRACE in August. Ms. Walker brings over 25 years of experience in social service program management and development, including the last 12 years in leadership positions at non-profit organizations in the greater Fort Worth area. She was instrumental in creating, developing, and implementing a variety of housing programs at Presbyterian Night Shelter (PNS), and managed the Safe Haven Program at PNS for several years. Most recently, Ms. Walker managed the daily operation and supervision of the housing services at Tarrant County Samaritan House supporting more than 425 households in their journey to self-sufficiency. A mental health professional with an advanced degree in education, guidance, and counseling, as well as her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and

To each of you who chose GRACE during North Texas Giving Day this year, we can’t say thank you enough! We not only met our goal, we exceeded it! As we partner together, even amid times of great change, your generosity guarantees that programs like the GRACE Food Pantry, GRACE Community Clinic, and Emergency Assistance for rent/mortgage and utilities remain accessible to those who need them the most. Because of you, GRACE continues to be a source of hope for those who have seen their financial foundations shaken by sudden emergencies or an ongoing difficulty. GRACE strives to demonstrate compassion towards these individuals and families and provide a tailored path out of crisis and into self-sufficiency. We ask that you continue to stay engaged with GRACE by keeping us in your thoughts and prayers and by following the links below: For information about volunteering with GRACE, click here! To learn more

With the 21st annual GRACE Gala approaching, we are excited to highlight our incredible Diamond, Titanium and Double Sapphire sponsors. The GRACE Gala in and of itself would just be another fantastic party, but it is the purpose that sets it apart. Corporate partners, local businesses, congregations, families, and individuals utilize their talents and give of their resources to generate event proceeds that sustain GRACE programs throughout the year. The many who give of their energy, expertise, and earnings to generate operational funds is truly remarkable, and we’d like the community to know how amazing they are! We wholeheartedly encourage patronage to local businesses that share the same desire to see families thrive in our community. On behalf of over 10,000 individuals GRACE served last year, thank you for providing support that allows us provide food, clothing, shelter, education, medical care and hope to the downtrodden among us.   The